


Not in Gold

by thorinsaplusparenting (ibreathethroughwords)



Series: Not in Gold [1]
Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal, Angst, Conspiracy, D/s, Dubious Consent, Fluff, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Mpreg, No Aftercare, Orgasm Denial, Poverty, Prostitution, Social Commentary, Spit Roast, Threesomes, balin as a dirty old man, dirty talking, domestic sexual abuse, is it incest if your balls don't touch?, kids being raised in poverty, mentions of prison rape, not safe sane and consenual, on hiatus for edit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-17
Updated: 2013-06-02
Packaged: 2017-12-05 13:20:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 52,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/723740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibreathethroughwords/pseuds/thorinsaplusparenting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No longer able to afford paying for Ori's apprenticeship in gold, Dori pays Balin with his body. When a marriage contract goes awry when Nori comes home, the situation escalates and casts light on the problems of dwarrow society, problems that Thorin will need to see fixed or risk an open revolution.</p><p>Note: As of 11/26/14, this story is officially on hiatus for editing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For this prompt on the kink meme: "Apprenticeships are expensive, and while Balin sympathizes with Dori's plight (he half-raised his own brother, after Azanulbizar took their father) and he's doing better than most Dwarves, he's not made of money, either. But he could use a little help around the house...and he can't help noticing Dori is both unattached and quite a catch.
> 
> No outright rape, please, but anywhere from Dori consenting with only a little reluctance to be a bedwarmer/helpmate all the way to Balin manipulating Dori's situation into sexual slavery (with a bonus for Dori servicing Dwalin as well) and possibly abusing his power over Ori while he's at it. Or compelling Dori into marriage and setting Dwalin up with one of the other brothers Ri to keep them out of trouble. I don't care just gimme morally ambiguous situations and Balin/Dori"

There had been a string of terrible circumstances that had led up to this moment. Nori had gotten in trouble with someone, _somewhere_ , and they had attempted retribution upon the thief's brothers. Their modest home was gone, the landlord forced at axe-point to evict them, and what little that had been saved from what wasn't stolen by neighbors was strapped to Dori's person. The very last of their coin had gone to paying rent on something much smaller in a not-so-nice part of town, but the coin wouldn't keep them there for long. Thanks to the same trouble-makers that had lost them their home, Dori was jobless, struggling to find work enough to at least feed Ori twice a day. At least most of Ori's clothing had been salvaged before the neighbors made off with it, but Dori had next to nothing left.

If that wasn't enough, Ori's apprenticeship fees were well past-due, and if he didn't come up with the money by the end of the day (not something that was likely to happen), then Ori would lose his apprenticeship to Lord Balin. His Master was already quite displeased with Dori: he was two months late on his payments, Ori's clothing was old and ill-fitting, the dwarfling often too hungry of late to focus on his lessons. Ori had been fussy, easily distracted, and often complained about his stomach growling more than fifteen year old ought to be, according to Balin. That a caretaker would be unable to provide for a dwarfling's basic needs and comforts was utterly shameful in a society where children were viewed as a rare blessing from Mahal.

Dori, frustrated by the situation, was sympathetic toward Ori; he was finding it hard to focus as well. Balin had been trying to pry the entire story of where things had gone wrong out of him for the last two hours, but Dori didn't dare tell the powerful Lord that Nori's unknown actions had been his undoing. The fewer who knew that Nori was their brother, the better. He was wanted for at least dozens of crimes all across Arda, and any who helped him would be charged and imprisoned if caught. Dori held no illusions that the rules would be bent for the crimimal's family, especially when it had been him who did the bulk of the raising, and Nori had come out like... like he was. Denial of Nori's existence kept them all safe, and Dori fretted that if admitted to sheltering aiding a criminal here and there, that Lord Balin would take his sweet little Ori away from him.

When Balin pressed again, Dori maintained that he had no idea what had happened, but that didn't change the fact that it had. All he needed was a little more time.

Balin gave him a considering look and shook his head. "I sympathize, Dori, I really do. I had to raise Dwalin on my own once we lost our parents. You must understand though, I can hardly work for free. I wouldn't be able to support my own family if I did." His tone, at least, was soft and kind. "I'm sorry, Dori, but if you can't pay by the end of the day, or at least trade something of the value equal to the payment outlined in the document, then you will have violated the terms of his apprenticeship contract. I will have to let him go as a student, at the very least."

Balin was kind enough to mention that he could easily have Thorin bring judgement against Dori in Balin's favor. A deep breath did little to keep him calm, so Dori took another, trying to buy himself a moment to think about the situation. They had no money, he had no valuables. What little had survived Erebor had been slowly sold over time to buy food here or shelter there, and now the rest had been filched by their former neighbors. This apprenticeship with Lord Balin was likely Ori's only ticket out of the poverty in which they currently lived. All he wanted was a better life for Ori, a happy life with the trade of his choice. So long as Ori had that, nothing else mattered. 

"All I have left you see here on me," Dori said when he could trust his voice to be steady. He did not meet Balin's eyes, afraid of the judgement he would find there. "If you have any need of another servant, then I will work for Ori's education."

It would take valuable time away from looking for a paying position and working at it, but he was strong, and would do what he had to do for his family's happiness. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Balin lean back in his seat as he considered the offer. It was hard to mistake the way his eyes swept over Dori's body. The younger male knew that he was incredibly attractive, and more than once he had used his charms to earn coin for food and shelter. If it was required of him now, he would do it again. Any life that Ori didn't spend sleeping on a cold, wooden floor, freezing and hungry, was worth whatever he had to do. 

"My household is fully staffed," Balin finally replied, and Dori felt his stomach drop at the finality in his tone. He closed his eyes and begged Mahal for the sort of mercy that was rarely given to mothers' sons. If he was exceedingly lucky, he thought he might be able to earn a good deal of the coin in a few hours on the street while Ori had his lessons, though it was likely neither he or Ori would eat that night. Dori stood and bowed low, as was appropriate for a dwarf of his meager class.

"I shall see what I can do," he said softly. Dread settled in his belly. Giving up his body for coin was something he did not want to do, but he would not see Ori trapped in this life. The lad deserved better.

Balin did not rise with him, but instead waved a hand in dismissal and turned back to his work. "Mahal be with you," he said, and Dori left.

\---

When Dori returned later that evening to retrieve Ori, Balin pulled him aside while his brother entertained the dwarfling for awhile longer with stories. "Have you the coin?" he asked.

Dori's body ached with every moment as he untied a sack of coins. It was fifty gold short, but he handed it to Balin anyway. "It is all I could manage." Dori's voice was hoarse, his throat burning and sore from overuse. What he wouldn't give for a nice, hot cup of tea to soothe it and calm his nerves! 

Lord Balin's eyes narrowed at the sound of his voice and Dori was sure then that he had been found judged and wanting. The dwarf Lord sat down at his desk to count the coin and compare it against something on parchment. He tapped the end of the feather quill against the parchment, then sighed. "You are still short fifty gold pieces," he said, "but I see that you are willing to go to great lengths for your brother."

Dori held his breath, chest tight. Perhaps Mahal would give him this one break. "I would do _anything_ to secure a better future for him, my Lord," he said carefully, making sure that his tone made his offer clear.

For a moment, there was silence between them, Balin studying Dori, and Dori carefully averting his eyes to the floor. It was only proper to appear ashamed of his actions, though he would sell his body again if it meant Ori would be safely apprenticed, fed, and clothed. The moment of silence stretched between them, and just as he thought Balin was about to refuse his offer, the other dwarf stood, locked the door, and settled into an armchair near the desk.

"Come here then," he said, "and kneel."

There was a second that Dori hesitated, but then his body moved of its own accord, and he knelt between Lord Balin's spread legs.

"I suppose this can count as something of equal value, though I shall expect it of you each time, without fuss, until such time as you can afford to return to paying what's due in coin. I shall consider a week's worth, once a day, to be the equivalent of 25 gold coins, for the sake of making this easier."

So then Dori would be expected to do this morning and evening for a week to make it up to him. He nodded. "Very well."

Balin opened his trousers and reached into his smallclothes to free his penis. It was a descent size, and other any other circumstances Dori would have been ecstatic to have a go at such a lovely, thick thing. Tonight though, he was nervous, because he knew he had to make this good, or Balin might change the value of it - something he could ill afford to have lowered. Gently, Balin rested a hand on the back of Dori's head and guided him forward, until his lips were pressed against the head.

He knew what to do. Dori went to work.

\---

He had been pleasuring Lord Balin every morning and evening for nearly a year when a harsh winter meant the cost of everything steeply increased. Dori managed to find work at a shop not too far from their home. The pay was awful, but it covered the rent and a bit of food with some gold coin left to spare. What little didn't go to Ori's apprenticeship was carefully saved. In another few months, perhaps, Dori thought he might be able to afford a sitter, and Dori vowed he would take up a second job during the nights. Nori hadn't returned to Ered Luin once, though a package did arrive for Ori on his birthday. It had held parchment, new quills and colorful inks that he wasn't permitted to use at his apprenticeship, but the new quills and parchment had lasted quite awhile. It was quite a shame that Ori had run out of them just as prices skyrocketed.

Dori didn't find out until Balin stopped Dori from sinking to his knees when he came to claim Ori and pay his due that night. "I'm afraid the cost of your brother's supplies have increased rather steeply," Balin said. His tone was apologetic, but the way his eyes kept drifting over Dori's body was anything but. "I'll need something more from you than your pretty and talented mouth to make up the difference."

If Mahal could hear his innermost thoughts, Dori was positively he wouldn't approve how they were directed at Him. "What would you have me do, my Lord Balin?" he asked. Dori's tone and body language were as the nobles tended to prefer from those in poverty still: submissive, unchallenging, eyes averted, and posture open so as to seem inviting. Dori knew precisely how to hold himself to drive Balin mad, and he used his knowledge to his advantage.

The soft growl he got in response was nice. "I would have you ride me," he said, and how could Dori argue with that? If he refused, how would Ori have the materials needed for his apprenticeship? Dori certainly could not afford them. Balin seemed to understand that Dori had no choice, for he simply raised an eyebrow from his armchair and quirks an eyebrow. "I don't have all night, laddie. Strip," he commanded.

Mahal was clearly punishing him for something, because surely most dwarrows didn't have to do this for their siblings. Dori did as he was told, for Ori's sake, and stepped out of his clothing. Balin gestured him near and pulled a vial of oil from his tunic. Balin guided Dori to his hands and knees in front of him, facing away. Dori heard the vial open and took a deep breath to help his body open so Balin could push his fingers in to slick him. They were warm and soft despite their callouses and Dori couldn't help but press back against them with a soft moan. They were nimble and skilled, and it took Balin little work to find Dori's prostate. The bundle of nerves inside him were pressed and teased and abused until Dori was trembling and begging softly with need. 

When he had managed to reduce Dori to the point where the only words the younger male could manage were whimpers of "please" and "my Lord", Balin drew Dori up into his lap, back to chest, and helped him ease himself onto Balin's thick and pierced member. Dori took it with ease, and had it seated fully inside him after only a moment had passed. Despite the previous stretching, Dori was tight, and Balin suspected that it was Dori's own control over his muscles that kept him that way. Dori squeezed him tighter, muscles tightening first at the head then moving down to the base and releasing in a way that made Balin think of the waves of a lake hitting the shore then receding. It felt amazing, and drew a gasp from him as Dori did it again before he begin to move. The dwarf against his chest was so far gone that he only lasted a few minutes, and Balin did no better. He followed shortly after, biting Dori's shoulder and calling out to Mahal as he spilled inside him.

Afterward, he held Dori against him, pressing gentle kisses to his still-trembling shoulders and ran his free hand over a lovely, pale thigh. Seeing Dori like that was something he could definitely get used to, and an idea began to form in his mind at how he could be assured to get to see precisely that again. He held his tongue until Dori was dressed and they were both clean and orderly again.

"I am perfectly willing to declare that worth 100 gold coins," Balin told him before Dori could flee. "Twice a week would cover all of his fees and your past debt to me." It was an offer he was certain Dori could not afford to turn down. Balin hadn't missed the way Ori's clothes no longer fit and were near worn through in most places. They needed replacing, and Dori didn't make even make enough to cover the lad's education, let alone his other basic needs beyond food and shelter. In fact, Dori's clothes were beginning to look rather threadbare as well. This would give him the chance to save more coin for the necessities.

"Or..." he began, looking Dori up and down. He was beautiful enough, surely at least understood how to run a household, and was pleasant enough company when they spoke. Perhaps he could do more for them.

Dori's eyebrow raised as Balin trailed off. Whatever it was he was contemplating seemed to require extra consideration, and Dori shifted nervously. There was no question on the matter of whether or not he would let Balin bugger him. If giving his body fully twice a week would better Ori's life, then so be it. He would not let his littlest brother grow up to him or Nori.

"There is another arrangement we could consider, but I should like some time to think further on my offer. We will speak of it more in the morning." Balin gave him a kind smile and opened the door for him. "Do be careful walking home," he said.

A little suspicious now, Dori nodded his thanks, said his own farewells, and scooped Ori up into his arms as they left. The exhausted but happy dwarfling chatted the entire way home, arms around Dori's neck as he told him what he had learned about and done. Balin was, according to Ori, the smartest person in the whole world after Dori and Nori, and he knew everything too, and did Dori know that Mister Dwalin was the bestest friend of King Thorin II Oakenshield? He was sooooo pretty and really tall and his hair was bee-oo-ti-ful and he had played with Ori and his nephews that were also in Balin's care for awhile when Master Balin had to go to the market.

Dori chuckled as they entered their small home, pleased to see that his quiet little dwarfling was growing into a slightly more outspoken lad under Balin's tutelage. He fed Ori, and got them both cleaned up and into bed, and tried not to think about what the morning might bring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balin makes his offer, and Dori makes his choice and deals with the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using queenofthedwarrorws age conversion here, which is 3.97 years for every human year. Ori is 16 years old, which means he's just between 4 and 5 by our reckoning. 
> 
> rayad: heir  
> âzyungâl: lover
> 
> I tried to find husband or groom but nooooooo, totally couldn't find them. :/

In the end, it was that Dori was tired of waking up the way he and Ori had that morning that had led to Dori accepting Balin's generous offer. His whole body ached from yet another night of sleeping on a cold, wooden floor, with no blankets or mats for comfort. Ori slept curled into his side, shivering slightly in his sleep because Dori had no money for firewood to keep them warm. The tiny lad put up with their sleeping conditions with no complaint, and Dori wondered if that was because he thought their current way of life must be normal, and having a big, soft bed before was the strange way to do things. The bed Dori had slept in before had been their mother's, and Ori had the big bed that Dori and Nori had shared as young dwarflings. They were both gone now though, and this floor was all the bed they had.

Balin's offer carried the unspoken promise of sleeping in beds again (for he surely couldn't know that they slept on the floor with only each other for warmth and comfort), and warm rooms heated by proper fires. There were other conditions and expectations, but Dori would bear them all for Ori's sake. The conditions under which he had been raising the lad were so shameful he was certain even Nori would not approve of the poor job he had been doing so far. If only his middle brother hadn't run from his responsibilities and burdened Dori with caring for them all single-handedly.

If only he could run away too.

Dori could not, so he accepted Balin's terms and signed the new contract.

Ori's education was secured, as was a well-paying position amongst Ered Luin's finest scribes upon the completion of his journeyman. He would have fine food, clothing, and shelter, with plenty of books and toys to encourage his imagination and to keep him entertained when he wasn't with the young princes. Dwalin would teach him how to fight and defend himself. Balin had named him rayad after Dwalin, and so he stood to inherit enough to support himself in the event of Balin's death. There would plenty of adults around to pay attention to him (for even Thorin II Oakenshield found him irresistibly cute and, according to Balin, often complimented the lad's intelligence), and friends amongst the young nobles for him to play with. 

Balin's terms for the expenses involved in raising a child and taking a spouse seemed more than fair to Dori, especially for the relief it brought him. As Balin's wedded âzyungâl, Dori would be expected to turn over all of his income to his new husband. Denying Balin his marriage rights would be considered grounds for divorce (though Dori could certainly say no within reason, and Balin said he would would respect it), as would any adultery, dishonesty, or immodesty in front of others on his part. The household and servants were Dori's to manage, though certain tasks were his alone, such as tending to Ori and his things, and caring for their marriage bed by changing the sheets and making it fresh in the mornings. Cooking Balin's meals and bringing them wherever he chose to take them was another task that fell squarely on Dori's lap, and Balin said he would find someone to teach Dori how to cook a bit better, as his food wasn't the best. If there were ever more children between them, Balin would keep custody of them in the event of a divorce. If they divorced and Dori could not provide for Ori, the Balin would take custody of Ori and care for him too until Dori was on his feet again. If Balin ever committed adultery or physically hurt him, Dori would be entitled to divorce and half of Balin's assets.

There were other, little things in their contract too: Dori was not to leave the house without a member of the guard with him, he wasn't to remove Balin's marriage braid without his permission save for at bed time (and Dori made sure it was written into the contract that neither could Balin), and he would be given a small allowance each week for his own personal use, in addition to the budget he was permitted for running the house. If Balin died, Dwalin was to inherit the care for Dori and Ori, and then as in any times during their marriage in which Balin was away on business, he was responsible for seeing to Dori's physical pleasures. That bit had made Dori blush, though he had heard it was a custom amongst some nobility, and that siblings may share spouses on occasion. He supposed that there were practical reasons for it: surely it made it more likely a child would come about to secure the family line, and having multiple lovers with whom one could sleep probably made one less likely to sleep outside that short list of permitted lovers.

That didn't mean he was at all comfortable with Dwalin also having rights to his body, but Dori didn't dare refuse. He told himself firmly that he would not talk back, would not fight, and would be willing, submissive, and eager. This was their ticket out of poverty, Balin was being more than fair, and so he would take it.

\---

That wasn't to say that everything went well from the start, though some things were certainly quite all right. The servants had done a remarkable job of teaching him his way around the household and getting him and Ori settled. They each had a nice big bed in which to sleep, and Ori practically vanished under the blankets when he climbed in that first night for Balin and Dori to tuck him in, childish wonder in his wide eyes at the size of it. 

Ori hadn't slept alone in well over a year, however, and now Dori found himself involved in a nightly struggle with the lad that left himself, Balin, and Ori exhausted all day. Dori would put him down for the night, come to bed and submit himself to taking care of his husband's needs (and, more often than not, thoroughly enjoying letting Balin tend to his needs in return), and then right as they were about to fall asleep, Ori's crying would start. 

The first week, both Balin and Dori had been patient with him.

By the end of the second week, only Dori's patience remained fully intact. Stating that he had a long day and needed a descent amount of sleep for a change, Balin had gruffly sent Dori out of their room when the tears started, ordering him to do whatever he must to quiet Ori down for the night. The dwarfling seemed to wake from a nightmare every hour that night, and Dori desperately muffled Ori's sobs into his shirt, afraid of the consequences should he keep him awake. He was tired, had not even gotten the chance to get either himself or Balin off before the tears had started, and by dawn he was barely holding himself together. 

Balin took one look at state of him and Ori when he came down to see Dori trying to cook breakfast with the lad half-asleep on his shoulder, and sent a servant to fetch his cousin, Oín. 

"He's a healer, and good with the little ones," Balin explained. "He might be able to prescribe a concoction for sleep, if nothing else." He pressed a gentle kiss to Dori's cheek that made him flush slightly with pleasure before tying on his cloak and leaving on some errand or another, his breakfast taken with him to eat along the way.

Dwalin came downstairs after his brother had left, ready to take Ori out to the training yards for the day. His gruff "Good mornin'" cut off halfway through as he took in his soon-to-be brother-husband's condition. "Rough night?" he asked, gesturing at Ori as he sat down to breakfast.

Dori had the sleepy dwarfling on his lap as he ate, head resting on Dori's shoulders, thumb in mouth, and still in his nightshirt. "Aye," he responded softly. His hair and clothes were likely in complete disarray, but it was so hard to care when he was this tired. "He's having a hard time adjusting and keeps having nightmares, poor lad." He kissed his brother's hair. 

"Poor lad," Dwalin echoed, and rubbed a big hand over Ori's back. "If you like, I'll tuck him back in for you. There's no point in trying to teach him when he's too tired to even lift his head and you look ready to break yourself. Go on and take a nap, I'll mind him for awhile."

It was a kind offer, but Dori wasn't sure if it was sincere or a test. The contract specifically stated that caring for any children in the house was solely his responsibility. He didn't dare risk anything at this point, and if he did stop to take a nap, he would not get done all that he needed to do before lunch. Summoning up the most grateful tone and smile he could, Dori politely declined. "Thank you, but I can manage him. I'm sure you've got better things to do with your morning than keep an eye on a very fussy dwarfling."

Dwalin studied him for a moment, and Dori, try as he might, could not decipher the look he was being given. "Very well," he said at last, and stood. "I won't be home for lunch, plan on taking it with Thorin today." 

Dori held Dwalin's gaze another moment, trying to decide if he had somehow offended him, but it was useless. "Until dinner, then," he said, and stood as the servants set about clearing the dishes. The warrior waved him off and he went to put Ori in bed for a nap. 

The morning was spent on household chores. Dori used the time that Ori was asleep to change the sheets and sent them to be washed, tidy the bedroom, and make a shopping list for Balin to approve. He then cleaned himself up and made himself presentable, and woke Ori to do the same. By the time all that was done, Oín was knocking on their door. 

He was an older dwarf, not unpleasant to look at, and carried an ear trumpet. Dori recalled hearing Dwalin mention a few days ago that one of their cousins was losing his hearing, and he knew this must be it. The servants let him in, and led him to the sitting room where Dori and Ori waited. The dwarfling was still quiet and clingy after the nap, never letting go of Dori's hand or tunic, but he was in a much better mood. Dori hefted him onto his hip and bowed to Oín as he introduced them both. Ori hid his face in Dori's shoulder, peeking shyly at Oin as he introduced himself in return. A servant brought in tea, and Dori served it to him. 

"How old is the lad?" Oín asked once they were through all the pleasantries. 

"He's sixteen now,” Dori said, and ran a loving hand through his brother's hair as he practiced his common letters at the table between them. To think that his little one was already sixteen.

Oín raised an eyebrow at that. "Bit small for his age. Is he eating properly?"

The question made Dori bristle. "He's eating just fine now," he coolly informed the older dwarf. "Balin takes very good care of us."

"I meant nothing against you by it," Oín assured him. "Children have a hard time adjusting to a sudden change in routine. My nephew is much the same way. Poor Gimli can't handle much in the way of change. His poor Ma rearranged his room one night and he didn't sleep well for a week. Gimli recovered eventually, sleeps fine now, but I wager that wasn't nearly as difficult as what poor Ori is going through. Can you get him down at night at all?

At least it did indeed sound like Oín had experience. "Getting him to sleep isn't the problem. He has almost the exact same pre-bed routine, though now he insists on telling both Balin and Dwalin goodnight, and Balin comes in to read to him before bed." Dori reached out to run a hand through Ori's hair again and stopped to refasten the end of a braid. "It only lasts for an hour or two, and then he's up and fussing and has awful night terrors. I don't think either Ori or I fell asleep until just before dawn this morning."

"And you had no trouble like this when it was just the two of you?" he asked.

Dori shook his head. "He's been a good sleeper since he was about three months of age. I've rarely had any problems with him. He always tells me if something is bothering him and he's told me nothing is wrong."

With so little to go by, was it any wonder Dori was at his wits' end? He watched as Oín thought it over. "I suppose we could try a sleeping tonic," he suggested. "Something mild, just to help him sleep through the night. It will do all if you some good. Balin mentioned yesterday he didn't think you'd slept well in ages. If you ask me, giving him one less thing to worry over would go a long way toward bettering your relationship. You can hardly get to properly know each other if one or both are completely exhausted."

Ignoring for the moment the pleasing yet startling implication that Balin was worried about him (and also ignoring the rather rude commentary on whether they were getting to know each other well enough), Dori nodded. "Whatever you think will help. He's had to miss his lessons with Dwalin today already. I'd hate for him to miss anymore."

Oín nodded and stood. "I'll mix something up and have it sent over this afternoon. Make sure the three of you stick to the lad's routine as exactly as you can."

"Of course we will. Thank you," Dori said, and stood as well to properly escort him to the door. "I do appreciate it."

\---

By the time Balin returned home just after lunch with the young princes in tow for their lessons Ori was wide awake and feeling better. They took the children outside the mountain to play and collect leaves to be identified later for a short while, and Balin and Dori sat down in the grass a short distance away to watch and talk together for awhile.

"What did Oín say?" Balin asked, shifting his position against a boulder so that he could pull Dori into his arms. Dori let him, craving the comfort of a familiar touch while he pondered over what Oín had said. He settled between Balin's legs and leaned back against his chest. 

"He's going to send a tonic this afternoon over to help Ori stay asleep," Dori said. Balin's arms wrapped around him and Dori rested his hands over his. "He thinks Ori is just having trouble adjusting to change."

Soft, warm lips pressed briefly against the side of Dori's neck in just the right way to make him shiver. This sort of closeness outside the bedroom was new to him, but most definitely not unpleasant. "I suppose that makes sense," he agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We just need to keep him on the same routine until he's through this," Dori said. "He should adjust, given time."

"Perhaps we should have done this more gradually," Balin said. "But I still think it was best to have you out of the situation you were in. Now you've little need to worry, my âzyungâl. Our little Ori is already doing much better at his lessons, and the two of you are starting to look healthy again." He paused to kiss Dori's earlobe. "Though I daresay you could do with a few good nights' rest. You don't have to handle Ori alone. It's alright to let someone else watch him for a couple hours if you need a break. That's hardly a breach of our agreement."

Dwalin must have spoken to him and Balin had figured out the rest. Dori sighed. "I'm just nervous. I've never been in a relationship before, and I barely know you well enough for a courtship, yet we're to be wedded."

Across the field, Fili handed Ori a pretty rock. Dori chuckled as the action made Ori blush. "I'm not saying I want out," he added as Ori handed Fili a blade of grass in return, "but I feel unsure of myself."

Not one to be outdone by his brother, Kili handed Ori two rocks and looked pleased with himself. Dori and Balin chuckled as Ori considered what to do for a second before giving Kili such a tight hug that the littlest prince came running over to hide in Dori's arms in embarrassment. 

"Now, now, what's this sudden shyness for?" Balin asked as Dori petted Kili's hair. 

"He hugged me!" Kili moaned into Dori's chest. "What do I do?"

The adults chuckled softly. "Go and hug him back," Dori suggested. "Ori loves hugs."

Kili, seemingly having decided that made sense, jumped up and ran after Ori. "You'll settle in as well, given time," Balin said. His tone was warm, and his arms tightened slightly around his betrothed. "You need not fear me. You can say no if you are not in the mood. You can come to me with concerns. I will not push you away, I will hear you out. As your husband, these are some of my duties to you. The two of you are mine to take care of now, and I take that responsibility very seriously."

If only Balin hadn't banished him from the bedroom last night, Dori might have completely believed him. "Unless it interferes with your sleep?" he asked dryly.

"I was an ass last night, and for that, I apologize," Balin said after a moment. "I don't think either of us have slept decently since you moved in, though no one is to blame there. I certainly faired worse without you in the bed than I normally do with you there., and I hope to keep you in our bed for the entirety of our night."

That was certainly mature of him, and the thought of Balin having a difficult time sleeping without him there warmed Dori's heart. Dori smiled a little and titles his head down just enough to kiss the back of Balin's hand. "I suppose I can forgive you then, if you were suffering too," he teased. The comment earned a chuckle from Balin.

"Aye, suffering greatly for the loss of you in my arms," he said. "I never expected to adjust to having you there as quickly as I did, but I am glad for it. Your companionship lifts my heart, and Ori is always a joy to have around. I look forward to watching him grow up as we grow older together."

Balin's comments took a weight off Dori's heart he hadn't known was there. "I think that this may be easier to adjust to than I thought, at least for me. Hearing you speak your heart lightens my own. I would return the favor, but I fear I am still trying to figure mine out."

His admission got him another kiss on the neck and a squeeze of Balin's arms around him. "There is no rush, Dori. We've got all the time in the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I might be leaning toward some males being able to bear children, and the dwarves (especially the nobles) being overly protective as with their females. I haven't decided yet, but it's just a thought. Also, as a rule to make me a bit more consistent, I do not "Brit-pick". Ass is ass to me, not arse, so.... that's how it is. "Aye" and "lad" get to stay though, because the first is fun and the second is better than saying "boy" all the time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A spit roast, and then a surprise visitor, in a surprise room, at a surprising time of night. This meets the other prompt requirement of Dwalin getting some of that sweet ass too.

With Oín's tonic, Ori had been sleeping through the night much more often. Within a week they were all feeling well-rested, and Dori noticed not only a sharp improvement in his relationship with Balin, but also in Ori's relationship with the two brothers that had been kind enough to take them in. He opened up more to them outside of his lessons and was willing to go to them for help with things if Dori's hands were full. Every morning before morning practice for a fortnight, Dwalin sat with Ori to teach him how to properly lace up and tie his boots and cloak. The burly warrior even sat still and let Ori do up his much larger boots and cloak, even though the knots were terrible looking and came undone easily. The day Ori managed to do it without any help Dori fixed his favorite food for dinner and the adults let him brag all evening as he practiced tying and untying everything in the house he could find.

Afternoon lessons were spent with Fili, Kili, and Balin, and then the boys were sent off to play until someone showed up to take the princes back to their mother. While not nearly as loud or exuberant as the princes at playtime, Ori loved their company and all three were genuinely sad whenever it was time for the boys to go home. The time between then and supper was typically spent with Balin, curled up on his lap in Balin's armchair and practicing reading. Dori was pleased that Ori was asking many more questions at the end of stories than he had been last year, wanting to know what specific words were if he recognized a letter, and using simple logic now to come to conclusions about the characters and stories.

That Balin was so patient and confessed one night after their bed sport to enjoying their afternoon reading pleased Dori, and he knew he had made the right decision for Ori. 

It wasn't clear to him that this had been good for him as well until two weeks before their wedding. Balin had already been gone a week and wouldn't return for another five days. Dori was lonely and horny and rather felt Balin's skill at sex had forever ruined masturbation for him. When it became clear his own hand was not going to be enough, he went to Dwalin, as the contract permitted. After Ori was put into bed for the night, he approached his soon-to-be husband's brother and explained the situation to him.

"There's no harm in needing a little help," Dwalin told him gruffly, and whisked him off to his room. The younger brother was nearly as skilled as the elder, but his cock, though just as long and just as heavily pierced as Balin's, was a bit thicker and that easily made up for him not knowing Dori's body as intimately as his brother did. The penis inside him hit all the right spots, even ones Dori didn't know he had. Dwalin was fond of watching Dori cum, loving the sight of him stuffing his fist into his mouth or biting Dwalin's pillow to keep from waking Ori with his screams of pleasure. 

That was the sight Balin returned home to late one night, an entire day early. He stood in the doorway of his younger brother's room, watching him tease Dori's hole open with his tongue and fingers. By the time either of them noticed him there, Balin was already undressed and stroking himself off to the sight.

"Evening, brother," Balin greeted.

Dwalin pulled his mouth away to greet him, which made Dori whimper at the loss, so far gone was he already with pleasure. "Welcome home," he said.

Balin closed the door behind him, locked it, and approached the bed. "Aye, and what a welcome it is. That's quite the sight to come to home."

"Balin," Dori moaned, reaching out for him. Balin chuckled and slid onto the bed in front of him to pull him into a searing a kiss. "I missed you."

Balin smiled and nipped at his lower lip before replying. "I missed you too, my âzyungâl," he replied. "Go on then, Dwalin, no need to stop on my account. Open him for me, if you like."

The younger son of Fundin grunted and went back to work, fucking his tongue hard into Dori and making him moan at the sensation. Dori reached for Balin's cock with greedy hands, and he happily shifted into a better position to let Dori take it into his hungry mouth. The view from his new angle was spectacular. Seeing his soon-to-be husband's mouth wrapped around his length had him fully hard rather quickly, and the sight of his younger brother tongue-fucking his âzyungâl open for him made it very difficult to resist fucking Dori's mouth.

Dwalin pulled away after a few more moments of making Dori whimper and moan around his older brother's cock to stroke himself. "Pass the oil, brother?" he requested. Groaning at having to pull away from Dori's mouth, Balin reached out to the side table to pass it to Dwalin and then shifted position. His cock was going to be in a better place soon enough. A small whimper came from Dori, trembling on the bed between them, and Balin couldn't resist giving him a tender kiss. As reassuringly as possible, he stroked his hands over Dori's bare flesh, lovingly caressing the skin he had missed so terribly while he was away.

"You're doing very well, my heart," he murmured to Dori as Dwalin slid two well-slicked fingers inside him. "Look at you, taking those thick fingers inside you with such ease. I can only imagine how you must look on my brother's cock, though I do hope he'll hold out long enough for me to get a good look at it tonight."

Balin kissed Dori's shoulders as Dwalin added more oil and a third finger and began to work Dori open in earnest. Beneath him, Dori shook and whimpered and begged in quiet gasps for Balin's cock. "Not just yet, dear. I want to make sure you're relaxed enough for me. I don't want to hurt you when my restraint snaps and I can't help but hammer into you."

That got a soft grunt from Dwalin. Deciding a bit of teasing wouldn't go amiss, he kept talking. "I'm going to finish inside you tonight, Dori. Would that be all right?" Dori nodded desperately and whimpered again as Dwalin's fingers found the sweet spot inside him and lightly rubbed over it. "When I'm finished, I'd like to watch Dwalin take you. I want to see him fucking you through my seed, pushing it deeper into your willing body."

"Balin, _please_!” Dori begged. "I'm loose enough, just take me. I need you in me!" Balin watched him press against Dwalin's fingers, then looked at Dwalin, who nodded. They switched positions, Dwalin kneeling in front of Dori's mouth to have his cock worshipped, and Balin kneeling behind him and easing into position. Dori hadn't been lying; his hole seemed to suck Balin's length straight in. Despite his best attempts otherwise, Balin couldn't help but swear softly as he easily sank in to his stones. Dori cried out around Dwalin's cock, and Balin motioned for his brother to pull back for a moment.

"Are you doing all right, Dori?" Balin asked. Deeps breaths helped him restrain himself from moving straight away. Together he and Dwalin rubbed Dori's back and shoulders, helping him to relax a bit until Balin could get an answer out of him.

Finally, after a couple of very tortuous minutes, he felt Dori tighten around him. "I'm okay now," Dori panted. "Be rough. I need it hard."

The instructions went straight to his cock and Balin obeyed. There would possibly be bruises on Dori's hips in the morning, but Balin would tend to them himself. He did as Dori asked, not holding himself back and releasing all his pent-up frustrations into his lover's willing hole. The sounds and screams of pleasure he got out of Dori were quickly muffled by Dwalin's prick in his mouth. Balin didn't last as long as he had hoped, but he'd gone days without, and the sight of Dori's mouth around the pierced length and the view of that sweet ass taking his own pushed him straight over the edge. 

When he was spent, Balin withdrew. Dwalin moved away then, and helped him roll Dori onto his back. Balin propped himself up again the pillows and pulled Dori into his arms as his brother pressed into Dori. At this angle Balin could easily kiss Dori and stroke him off, so that's what he did. The expression on Dwalin's face told Balin he wasn't going to last long at all at the brutal pace he had set, and so Balin used all of his intimate knowledge of Dori to bring him off ahead of Dwalin. He kissed him hard to smother his lover's cry of pleasure and brought his cum-covered hand up so he could enjoy the greatly missed taste of Dori's spending. Dwalin lost it at the sight of Balin lapping up the seed, and barely remembered to keep his voice down when he came. 

He collapsed on the bed with them once he had withdrawn, head pillowed on Balin's thigh so his older brother could stroke his hair until the shaking subsided. Next to them, Dori was asleep already, a small, satisfied smile on his face as he curled into Balin's side. "Do you think you could help me get him into bed?" Balin murmured to him once he felt he could move again.

With a grumble about having to move, Dwalin pushed himself upright and slipped on a night shirt. Balin pulled his own clothing back on and gathered up Dori's, and together they got him into the proper bed. When he was in the middle of cleaning Dori up, his lover woke, looking down at him in surprise for a moment then laying his head back down. "Thank you," he whispered. 

Balin smiled and finished cleaning the seed from his hole. "It is I who should thank you. That was a very delightful homecoming." The cloth was put aside in favor of getting them both into nightshirts just in case Ori needed something during the night. Balin unlocked their door and was about to climb into bed when Dori sat up. 

"Could you check on Ori?" he asked. "Sometimes he wakes up and just stays in his room instead of coming to get me."

Glad to see that Dori was comfortable asking such things of him now, Balin kissed his forehead and took the candle from the bedside table. "Aye. You rest, I'll check on him," he promised and went down the hall to the lad's room. 

There was a strange noise from within that made Balin's hand freeze on the knob, then another that sounded like an adult singing a lullaby. Fairly sure that Dwalin had gone straight back to bed, Balin braced himself for trouble and carefully pushed open the door. What he saw made him freeze. At the side of Ori's bed was a dwarf, tall and thin, with his hair and beard shaped to look like a star. What he could see in the candlelight told him that the hair was red, the features on his face familiar for reasons he didn't understand. 

The intruder froze, studying him intently for a moment before he hissed a quiet, disbelieving, "No! He didn't!" at Balin and slipped back through the window and into the darkness beyond. Balin glanced at Ori, still asleep and clearly breathing, and closed and locked the window. He scooped Ori up, blew out the candle, and took him into his own room, where he passed him into Dori's tired arms.

"Stay here," he ordered quietly and turned to go get Dwalin.

"What?" Dori sat up a bit, pulled Ori closer. "Balin, what is-”

"Stay. Here." Balin gave him a stern look to let him know he meant it and burst into Dwalin's room, starling his half-asleep brother awake again.

Dwalin sat up instantly, glaring at him. "There was an intruder in Ori's room! Right on the edge of his bed!" 

The ire faded instantly from Dwalin's face, concern for Ori taking its place. "Is he okay?" Dwalin demanded as he slid out of bed.

"Aye, he didn't wake up. I think it was that criminal you've been after. I've never seen anyone else with hair and beard shaped like a star!"

Balin had never seen his brother move so fast. It was a bit of pandemonium after that, Dwalin rushing to organize the guard, Balin shutting himself in his bedroom to protect his family if need be. He locked the door behind him and moved his weapons closer to the bed. Dori had tucked Ori in on his own side and had gotten up to pace. When Balin entered, he turned to him quickly.

He held up a hand to forestall any questions coming from Dori. "There was an intruder in his room, sitting right on the edge of Ori's bed. He came in through the window and left just as quick. I think it was that criminal Dwalin's been after for some time now. I didn't know he had moved on to child-snatching, but it will be on his record after tonight."

Balin sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to brush a lock of hair out of Ori's eyes. To think they might have lost him had he not come in when he did...

Dori sat beside him and reached for his other hand. Balin thought he looked paler than usual. Well, he could hardly be blamed for that under the circumstances. "This... criminal. Tell me about him?"

"He had the star shaped hair and beard. Tall and thin, awfully young-looking to be involved in such a terrible life. He's got a very long list of things he's wanted for, mostly petty theft, but I believe Dwalin said there are a few assault and murder charges on the list as well. He's never hurt a child before, not that I know of. No one knows his real name or where he comes from." Balin paused for a moment, and shook his head. "It's so strange. He looked so familiar, but I can't place the face."

Dori had never thought so many swear words all at once in his life. Nori, the fool, had broken into Ori's room through his window! He had risked all of their futures doing that, and Dori was livid and terrified. He dared not let his anger show, for fear Balin would realize just who he had seen in that window. Dori had forbidden Ori from even mentioning their brother to anybody, lest they be separated forever for the crime of sheltering a criminal and interfering with an investigation. The grip he had on Balin's hand tightened, and his future husband tugged him into his arms, content to hold him until Dwalin returned with more answers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two someones are arrested, and everything is uncertain.
> 
> I hope you all cry at least half as hard as I did while writing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my thanks and I guess one half each of my first born to QueenBecky and charliechick117 for their help and letting me bounce ideas off of them. Your tears (and mine) wouldn't have happened without their help!

Neither Balin nor Dori had been expecting Dwalin to return home the next morning with the news that they had finally caught the most wanted criminal in Ered Luin and possibly all of Middle Earth besides. Dwalin pulled Balin aside to tell him some of what the thief had told them, and it was with anger and worry filling his mind that Balin politely ordered Dwalin to distract Ori and pulled Dori aside into his office. He locked the door behind them and gave Dori a serious, expectant look.

"The thief claims that you are family," he said flatly, getting the statement out there and waiting for Dori to deny it so they could go on with their day. There was still a lot to finalize for the wedding after all, and they couldn't very well keep the tailor waiting forever.

He had not expected Dori to crumple immediately into the armchair they had first truly coupled in, tears in his eyes, and his body trembling in fear. "Oh, Mahal, _no_ ,” Dori breathed. It had been a long shot, but he had held out hope that some other idiot was copying Nori's hairstyle. Not once after the incident had Dori gone back to sleep, pacing the room and silently pleading with Mahal and then tossing and turning restlessly in bed once Balin had dragged him into it to try to sleep. He worried for Nori, yes, of course he did, but he also had Ori's best interests to look out for. If Nori was dumb enough to say they were family, that meant that he could be in trouble by association too. He had done too much for Ori to risk this. Mahal surely wouldn't be so cruel.

All the prayer appeared to have been for nothing. Dori had gone to such lengths to hide their connections to him from Balin and Dwalin. Now everything was ruined. At least if they weren't married Balin couldn't legally take Ori from him...

Unless Dori went to jail for protecting Nori.

He pressed the heels of his hand into his eyes to stem the tears and took a deep breath. Balin approached the armchair and rubbed a soothing hand over Dori's back. The touch was reassuringly gentle, and he wanted to just crumple into Balin's arms and let everything out. He wanted to curl up in those strong arms forever and not have to face this.

Dori just wanted everything to go right for once.

"Tell me, âzyungâl. Best get the whole story out now while it's just the two of us in here." He pulled another chair closer to Dori and sat in it. Tenderly he reached out and pulled Dori's hands away from his eyes. Balin tilted Dori's head up to look into his eyes and gave him a kind smile that Dori couldn't resist. 

After a couple of calming breaths, he gave Balin's hands a squeeze. Confessing now would save him trouble down the road, wouldn't it? The retribution he might face now would be less serious than if this was found out after they were married. Maybe Dori could get the jail time over with quickly or bargain with Thorin to get out of it altogether if it came to that, used to offering his charms to get others out of trouble. 

"Nori is my middle brother," he said. "He walked out on Ori and I a few months after 'aman died. Ori wasn't even six months, but Nori couldn't take the pressure of being partially responsible for an infant or trying to earn an honest income, so he left. For awhile he would show up every week or two with coin and food, wouldn't say how he got it. Then one day when Ori was ten I... I caught him stealing and told him he wasn't allowed to bring stolen things into the home anymore."

Dori took a shaky breath. "He still snuck in, sometimes, but we had a bad fight the first time I lost a job and I haven't seen him since. Nori still sends Ori birthday presents and Durin's Day gifts, but... he must have been looking for us when we were no longer in the last home he knew."

Balin patted the back of Dori's hands. "Why didn't you mention him sooner, Dori? Did you know his alias?"

"Sort of," Dori confessed quietly. "I suspected Dwalin was looking for him, once I heard the description, but I didn't want to do anything that might ruin Ori's chance at a better life than what Nori and I have had. We've both done awful things for his sake. I couldn't risk anything. Ori deserves better than what I've been able to give him on my own. I just... I just want him to have food, and shelter, and a chance to be somebody better. I just wanted to give him a good future."

Silence met his revelation. Dori tensed as Balin withdrew his hands and sighed softly.

"I have never helped him steal. I did everything I could to discourage it," he tried, voice soft still, but with a desperate edge. The non-reaction made him nervous. "I had not even thought to bring him up to you because I was so focused on Ori and us both settling in. Surely you understand?"

"It's a difficult situation you've put me in," Balin said at last. He would not look at Dori, and that stung deeply. "Please step out and send my brother in. I need his council on this."

Suddenly Dori was terrified that Dwalin, so very insistent on upholding the letter of the law, would insist on canceling the marriage, or worse: that Dori be placed under arrest as well as Nori. Knowingly harboring a criminal, even if they were family, was considered the same under Dwarrow Law as being an accessory to all of those crimes because in providing them safety, one was not forcing them to own up to their actions. Not being in jail gave the criminal a chance to hurt more people. It was encouraging weakness in character and deed, and it weakened society. Such things were not tolerated amongst Mahal's people, so proud and strong.

Though he was trembling enough to make walking difficult, Dori stood and stepped out of the room, forcing a smile onto his face for Ori's sake and letting Dwalin know his brother wished to speak to him privately. Dwalin gave Dori a hard look, and told him to take Ori upstairs to wait for their decision.

What choice did he have but to obey? 

A long time passed in which it grew increasingly difficult to keep his little one occupied with just being upstairs before he heard the front door open and shut and a terrifyingly familiar voice came from downstairs. 

King Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, had been called. Dori urged Ori to be silent, and pressed his ear to the door as Balin greeted him briefly. They didn't bother waiting to speak of things until they were behind closed doors, and Dori managed to catch quite enough of their conversation to come to a decision.

"Will calling off the marriage be punishment enough?" he heard Balin ask.

There was a pause, and a soft sigh. "Nori is wanted in every city around us. I've never seen anyone with such an impressive list of crimes. If Dori knew what was going on, I can't excuse his actions. The law is clear as to what must be done. Come, let us speak more privately."

The voices trailed off as the door to Balin's office shut. Dori clutched Ori to his chest, giving him a tight squeeze.

"What's wrong?" Ori asked, looking at him sadly.

"We're going to pretend to go on a trip, sweeting," Dori responded. "But we have to be really quiet about leaving so that we don't disturb Balin's meeting with the King. Can you do that for me? Can you be very quiet?"

Ori nodded, and Dori breathed a sigh of relief. As silently as he could, Dori packed. He grabbed clothing for them both, the jewelry Balin had gifted to him for their engagement, his savings from his weekly allowance, their mother's few remaining heirlooms, some of Ori's toys to keep him occupied, and a couple of books. Bed rolls were grabbed, and shoved into a pack with his blanket.

Dori checked Ori's room and the room he shared with Balin to make sure he had everything of importance, and then quietly snuck Ori out the back door. If they made haste, they could be out of the city and a good deal of the way to the next by nightfall. He thought briefly about just lying low in an inn, but rooms would be searched and customers would be questioned just as thoroughly as the staff. No, better to just make a run for it. He purchased a pony from a stable near the outside of town and hoped to Mahal they would make it to safety before they were caught.

\---

It was with a heavy heart that Balin trod up the stairs to deliver the terrible news to Dori himself. Dwalin and a couple of his subordinate guardsmen were waiting at the foot of the stairs to take Dori to serve the two year sentence for his crime. It was hardly fair to him, but Balin was willing enough to keep custody of Ori until Dori had been properly punished by the law, especially since Thorin had been kind enough to agree to shorten the sentence. After that was done, he thought they could discuss the matter of what to do about Ori. He pushed open the door to their room and frowned when they were not there. Things had been moved around from that morning, but Ori had a tendency to touch everything, as children his age would. Still, something seemed... off. No matter, it could be sorted later.

When Balin opened the door to Ori's room, he knew in a heartbeat what it was. Toys were missing, so were some of Ori's blankets, his stuffed cat, and a couple of the boy's most beloved books. Balin swore aloud and raced back to his room, searching for what he knew he wouldn't find. Dori's mother's things were gone, as were the jewelry and money he had given to him. Figuring Dori must have heard Thorin and tried to make a run for it, he raced back down the stairs and grabbed his cloak. 

"They're gone!" he snapped to Dwalin and Thorin. The fabric tangled as he tried to wrap it over his shoulders and he fumbled with it, worry hindering his movements, "They've fled!"

Dwalin swore and ordered the guards out before taking off himself, likely to call reinforcements. Thorin pulled on his own cloak. "Are you sure?"

"There's too much missing for them to have gone to the park" The fabric finally straightened out and Balin clasped it into place. "We must find them!"

Thorin nodded his agreement, and the two of them were out the door and down the road, questioning the neighbors.

\---

They had been on the road for two days before Dori caught sight of several people following and gaining on them. He was exhausted, having spent most of the last two nights shushing Ori's tears and trying to comfort his little brother. It hadn't taken the sharp dwarfling long to figure out that they weren't playing a game after all, and Ori cried non-stop for Balin and Dwalin and his nice, soft bed when he was awake. He missed Fili and Kili, and practicing his slingshot, and reading stories in the afternoon with Balin.

Dori understood how he felt and he tried to be patient. He missed waking up in Balin's arms, the flurry of wedding planning, even his chores, and most definitely the sex. Trying to sleep without Balin there was difficult; Dori badly missed his arms around him at night, the tickle of his beard against his back and the weight of Balin's arm over his side as they slept.

This was for the best, however, and he needed to bear that in mind. He urged their pony to go as fast as he could, but it was no use. Their pursuit was gaining on them, and an hour from the next town, they were caught. Their King in Exile himself led the search party that found them, and he made sure Dori was tightly bound once he had exhausted himself trying to fight them off. He was not so cruel as to keep Ori far from Dori though, riding alongside him with Ori in front of him during the day, and letting Ori curl up with Dori at breaks and to make camp at night. Neither Thorin or the guardsmen would speak to Dori unless it was necessary, but they all doted on Ori, who lapped up the attention from the familiar adults. Thorin seemed especially fond of his nephews' favorite playmate, going out of his way to make sure the lad was calm, comfortable and happy.

Balin and Dwalin were waiting for them when they finally made it back to town, and Ori ran straight to them as soon as Thorin set him down, clinging to Balin and crying and demanding answers. Dori kept his head lowered submissively to avoid inviting anyone's ire, but watched Ori closely. He committed as much of the moment to memory as he could, knowing full well that if he survived his sentence, it could still be a very long time before he got to see Ori again. If he wanted to Balin could easily take custody of Ori from him permanently. Maybe it would be best. 

Ori did deserve better, after all, and the thought that it would probably would be for the best hurt deep in his chest.

Dwalin and a new contingent of soldiers took over for the exhausted few who had gone with Thorin. Dori was helped off the pony and escorted to the prison on foot. Balin, Thorin, and Ori came with them, Ori chatting excitedly to Balin about all they had seen on their "trip". He was perfectly happy to be back, and though he clearly didn't understand why Dori wasn't allowed to talk or use his hands, or why Balin didn't kiss him hello, the worst of the ordeal was over for Ori.

Dori's was just beginning.

Once inside the prison, Dwalin let Dori have his use of his hands back to hug Ori tightly to his chest. It was hard not to cry, knowing that this could be the last time he would ever see his cheerful little brother again. He told Ori to be good for Balin, tried to explain to him what was happening, and then Dwalin and Thorin were separating them. Balin still wouldn't look at or speak to him, even as he carried a sobbing and scared Ori away, crying and shouting for Dori to come home with them.

"I wish I didn't have to do this to you," Dwalin said as he led him to a cell. All his valuables would be sent home with Dwalin, hopefully to be given to Ori when he was older. "If you hadn't run away, I'd be a hell of a lot sorrier, but what's done is done."

He opened the cell door and gently guided Dori in before closing it on him. At least he was the only one in this cell. Dori wrapped his hands around the bars. "Will you at least tell me what's going to happen to Ori?" 

Dwalin shook his head. "Balin's still working that out with Thorin. Try and get some sleep."

He turned and left, and Dori sank on the small mat in the corner. It was completely beneath his dignity to dissolve into tears in a prison cell. It was beneath him to lose his composure. 

It couldn't be helped, really.

A voice from the cell across the way snapped Dori out of his tears mere moments after they started.

"Dori? Dori, is that you?" 

That voice, so familiar, inspired both hope and a blinding flash of rage within him. Dori stood and approached the bars of his cell, gaping with shock into the one across the hall. The last person he had ever expected Dwalin to put him near was there, staring with equal shock back at him.

Nori.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nori is the voice of reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably mention that the possibility of prison rape is mentioned in this chapter. Nothing happens, but it's discussed.

It took Nori the better part of three weeks to get the full story out of Dori's mouth, and he was furious when he finally got the truth. That Dwalin had gone out of his way to avoid Dori, even when coming to interrogate Nori was infuriating. The least he could do was let them know that Ori was okay and his ass of a brother hadn't just tossed Ori out onto the street. They were family, the least he could do is at least tell them the lad wasn't dead, for Mahal's sake!

Dori wasn't doing well at all. His beautiful older brother wasn't used to long nights spent in prison, waiting for the guard change to break out or food to come. Though he knew Dori was used to be stared at and hit on, he wasn't used to the dirty looks and jeers coming from supposedly trusted authority figures. The only reason Nori didn't break out sooner was that Dori wouldn't come with him out of fear of making life harder for Ori, and the way the guards were looking at his brother told Nori one of his remaining hidden knives might be needed to chase the guards away from hurting Dori. He couldn't live with himself if he left and something happened to his big brother, so he stayed in his cell, longer than he ever had before.

Dwalin was suspicious at first. Nori hadn't ever waited this long to break himself out, and he knew that the prisoners had been talking to each other, likely trading signs across the hall. Quite frankly, watching Dwalin giving him a surprised look every time he came back to the cell and Nori was still in his was pretty amusing. By the end of the third week, he seemed to have switched from surprise to confidence, and Nori couldn't help but smirk whenever Dwalin left. Oh, if only he could still be around to see the look on his face when Dwlin discovered he was gone.

Whenever that would be. As the days dragged on Dori spoke less and less and spent a lot more time curled up on his mat, facing the wall. At first Nori woke in the night to the whispered sound of Dori begging Mahal for some kind of solution, but by the end of the sixteenth day with no news of Ori, that had stopped too. Dori was barely eating, Nori had to resort to begging him to drink, and he had stopped asking Dwalin for news. Dori no longer looked up hopefully at the sound of footsteps and the quiet sounds of muffled sobbing at night died away.

Clearly, Nori was going to have to do something to fix this mess. It was partially his fault, after all. If he hadn't come in through the window, Dori might not have been shocked into confessing their family ties.

A small voice in the back of his head argued that if he had never left in the first place, Dori wouldn't have been letting the Fundinsons use his body to pay for Ori's food, shelter, and education. He badly wanted to ignore that voice, but it grew louder each day until finally he could no longer hide from it.

Just this once, Dori was going to have to sit there and let somebody else do something for him for a change. A plan began to form in his mind, though he would have to hope that Dori could handle himself for a few days to enact it. On the day that Dwalin, now over-confident in his hold on Nori, was manning the front gates, Nori left through them, even nodding to the big guard on his way out. Dwalin hadn't even recognized him through the disguise, though Nori was quick to ditch it and pull together another one from someone's laundry line. It wouldn't take them long to find the stunned guard tied up in his cell.

\--- 

The first week in his cell had been torture on Dori's nerves. The guards were always leering at him and making rather crude comments. They talked loudly near him (but never where Dwalin could hear) about how poor Lord Balin had been taken for a fool by a nice piece of meat and could they blame him with the ass on that one? More often than not the discussion would delve into the guards making plans to "try it for themselves" but with Nori there to growl and threaten it never amounted to much. Apparently it wouldn't be the first time Nori had walked straight of his cell to hurt someone and then went right back in after and the guards were all slightly afraid of him.

The slightest sound of footsteps had put Dori on edge at first, hoping in vain every time that somebody was bringing Ori to see him. Eventually, he gave up hoping. It seemed that Balin was determined to keep them apart from each other, and Dori held no illusions that he would ever be permitted custody of Ori again once he got out. Who would ever believe him over such an esteemed figure as Balin? Certainly not Thorin. 

By the end of the first week, depression began to set in. Dori missed his tea, his knitting, his Ori. He even still missed Balin, though he was furious with him for keeping Ori from him. It didn't matter if he and Nori were both in jail, Ori was still their family, and shouldn't be kept apart from them forever. The already bland daily meal of bread, butter, and a glass of water lost all taste. Nori kept begging him to hang in there, to eat and to drink, but not once did he ever apologize for showing up in the middle of the night and destroying Dori's happiness again.

One day, three weeks or so in, Dori woke to Dwalin yelling and his cell door being violently thrown open. He sat up quickly, startled by the ruckus, but any questions he had turned to ash in his mouth when he saw the look on Dwalin's face.

"Where is he?" he demanded. "How long ago did your brother leave?"

He had fallen asleep to Nori's singing. Dori blinked up at him, and then glanced across at the cell to determine if he was really gone. A simple knot hung from the bars, but Dori couldn't read it at that distance. "I have no idea," he said. "He was there when I fell asleep."

And now he was gone, and Dori was alone, with no one to stop the guards if they tried anything. Had everyone abandoned him now? He couldn't blame Nori if had. Despite his best efforts Dori always seemed to come up short somehow. First he had failed to save Nori from a life of crime, then he had often failed to feed Ori, and now here was, locked away in jail from everything he loved for the crimes he had committed against the first but not the second of his brothers. No one was coming to visit him. No one was coming back for him. His shoulders shook with grief, but no tears came. Maybe he had none left.

Dwalin took in the very real look of hurt on Dori's face, the realization that he was truly alone in here now, and decided that was believable enough. He left, the door clanging shut behind him. Dori laid back down on the mat and stifled his tears. That was it then. Well, it wasn't as though he could have expected Nori to stay and keep him company. It would be selfish of him to even hope for such a thing. If Nori stayed too long it was likely that he would be executed, and Dori much preferred knowing Nori was alive... somewhere.

It was only two years. He could do it.

Maybe then he would be able to love someone without screwing them up in some way.

He closed his eyes, and forced himself to go back to sleep, because it was easier to dream than to stay awake and try to handle his emotions.

\---

Ori was inconsolable for the first fortnight, clinging tightly to Balin in confusion and not speaking at all to Dwalin or Thorin. He didn't understand why Dori couldn't come home, and there were only so many ways one could explain that to a sixteen year old. Balin tried, making sure to talk to him frequently to help Ori work out his feelings as he tried to explain that it was Dori's fault, but Ori wouldn't listen to him, repeatedly insisting that Dori was a good boy who just needed a hug and then everything would be better.

It was well past midnight, Ori wouldn't stop crying, and Balin was exhausted. Despite the situation and his anger at Dori for not disclosing information about Nori upfront... he missed him. Though he was only three weeks into caring for the dwarfling on his own, Balin had a much better appreciation of what Dori had gone through. He couldn't imagine having to do this while starving himself to feed the child. Two more years of this would be a nightmare. Then there was the problem that it was damn near impossible to sleep without Dori's warmth in the bed beside him. He missed helping him comb through his long, graying hair before bed, missed the tender kisses, the conversation, the company, and the sex. The last three weeks had left him feeling empty.

Lying down with Ori wasn't working, so Balin scooped the dwarfling up to pace the room with him. "Tell me about your other brother, Ori," he tried. "What's Nori like?"

The distraction worked enough to still the tears, but Ori refused to be put down; one tiny fist clung to Balin's nightshirt, the other was loosely tangled in his beard. Ori's head settled against Balin's shoulder. "He goes away a lot. It makes Dori sad, but then he comes back with money and it makes Dori really mad!" 

"Mad? Why?" If anything, Balin thought Dori should be happy for any help in that situation. 

"I think he stole it," Ori whispered. "They always fight and yell, because Nori wants to be free and Dori wants help at home because he 'can't deal with it on his own'. What do you think he meant?"

Ori was clearly mimicking Dori's angry voice, and it brought a small smile to Balin's face and a fresh stab of guilt to his gut. "I'm not sure, my dear lad." It wasn't like he could take Ori down there to ask him either. Thorin had forbidden it, stating that the prison was no place for a small child to be visiting.

"He meant that it was damn hard on him trying to work and raise a kid on his own," came an unfamiliar voice from the door. Balin turned and recognized the silhouette from the night the trouble started. Ori wriggled in his arms, trying to get down, but Balin held him fast. "He meant that I never should have abandoned them for a life of crime, giving him something else he had to worry over. He was trying to ask for help, and I was too young and dumb to be able to give it."

"You shouldn't be here," Balin said, inching slowly toward his weapons.

Nori flicked a knife out of his sleeve and gestured for Balin to halt. He obeyed, only because Ori was in his arms. "I know. I should never have come in the first place and ruined Dori's happiness again either, but I did. I want to talk to you. Privately. Then I'll go back to my cell for awhile, if that's what you want." But he wouldn't be staying there, Balin knew. There wasn't a cell that could hold him, and he only got caught when he wanted to be. 

There was probably nothing Nori could say that he was interested in, but Balin's instincts told him to agree this time. He hesitated, but sighed and nodded, setting Ori down. The boy ran to his brother and latched his arms around his neck with a cry of joy. Balin watched as Nori held the little one tightly, a look of utter joy and relief on his face. He sat Ori down after a long moment, crouched to his level, and kissed his forehead.

"I need to talk alone with Balin about when Dori gets to come home, okay? Do you think you can play quietly in your room for a little while so we can have a grown up talk?" Ori looked between the two, but nodded. 

Balin sent him Ori off with his valet, who Ori was convinced was for climbing on. The dwarf had little ones of his own, and was good with Ori, and Balin trusted him to keep him occupied. When the two were gone, Nori locked the door behind them.

"You used my brother," he accused as soon as the coast was clear. Nori's voice was a low, angry growl, and he gestured with the knife as he spoke. "You used him, then you threw him away over the smallest mistake, and you won't even let Ori go and see him! He's barely eating or drinking what little food is served to him, the guards are probably going to try to use him themselves given the chance, and if I just stay in there to keep an eye on him my execution will probably come about before his time is up. I can't stay in there, he can't stay in there. My crimes are not his fault. He urged me to go to the authorities and I didn't listen, because I _like_ what I do. I don't give a damn if it isn't respectable. I have plenty of food and shelter, and Dori doesn't have to worry about if I have a place to stay.

"And quite frankly? I don't blame him for not mentioning me. I wouldn't bring me up in polite conversation either. I wouldn't even think of me, really, if I was terrified of fucking up in front of the dwarrow who holds unlimited power over me. You know he was terrified to death of you doing exactly what you did? He thinks he's never going to get to see Ori again, because you have that kind of power. He's going out of his mind with worry for the kid and your idiot brother won't even tell Dori whether or not he's with you still or if he's out on the streets, for Mahal's sake! How can he fill his responsibilities as big brother like this? Is Ori even happy? I've heard him crying since I broke in a couple hours ago. He's asked you a lot to let Dori come home." Nori paced as he spoke, though his eyes never let Balin and the knife never stopped moving.

Guilt stung Balin again. Ori hadn't exactly been happy either. The law was clear though, there wasn't really anything he or even Thorin could do that he could think of. "What would you have me do? He sheltered a known criminal. The law is clear."

Nori snorted. "He didn't commit the crimes. I would have just broken out and committed more whether I saw him or not. I bet you didn't even care for him. What was your relationship about then? The sex? From the way he tells you've had him by the balls for the last year or so. Now, there's nothing legal about making payments with sex, I guess, but it sure as hell isn't honorable to make that the only way he can afford to pay for Ori's education."

"Of course I care," Balin sighed. "It wasn't about Dori at first. It was about making sure the boy could have a future. Then it got out of hand, and I came to care deeply for him."

"Yeah? Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it. Drop the charges. Tell Thorin you heard incorrectly. At least take the lad to see him!"

"I can't take Ori, by order of the King. Thorin has commanded it."

Nori grinned. They'd just have to see about that.

\---

Breaking into the home of the King in Exile was easier than breaking into Balin's, he suspected in part because it was generally expected that no dwarf in their right mind would dare. Figuring out which window was the King's wasn't that hard either from the roof next door, and Nori wasted no time in slipping through once he saw Thorin enter the building. By the time Thorin got up to his room Nori was sprawled across the bed. It was just out of sight of the door as it opened, so Nori waited until Thorin had shut it before he spoke.

"Good evening, my liege," he said. The way Thorin jumped was impressive in the way it somehow remained dignified. Nori suppressed a snicker and pushed himself up so he was propped up on his elbows. "I'm not here to harm your Most Royal Personage. I just want to talk about my brothers."

Thorin's hand remained in place on the doorknob, but he didn't move beyond that. "Dori is serving his sentence according to the law set down by our forefathers for harboring a criminal. There is little I can do."

Little, huh? That meant there was something, and he was going to make Thorin do it somehow. Nori rolled his eyes and sat up, legs swinging over the side of the bed that really felt more like a rock. "Now who's the liar?" he asked mockingly. "You're the King here, whether you accept that title or not, so you have the power to negotiate, whether you accept that or not. 

"Negotiate?" Thorin echoed, a Royal Eyebrow arching in polite disbelief. "Surely you can't think I would negotiate with a common thief.

A common...! Nori huffed at him. He was hardly any common thief. "Excuse you," he said coldly, and watched as Thorin's other eyebrow joined the first, clearly shocked that anybody would have the nerve to speak to him that way. "I want Dori out of jail. He's not going to last much longer in there, and it's not his fault I made the choices I made. That I still make. He was just trying to do right by his family. He was caught up in trying to feed his family, and plan a wedding, and working desperately hard around the clock to keep Balin satisfied so he and Ori weren't separated like this!"

"Who do you think you are to-" Nori cut Thorin off, and watched the King's indignation rise.

"I'm the dwarf who's calling you an idiot, and I'm the brother of two _your precious laws fucking failed_! Do you now how Dori was paying for Ori's apprenticeship?" Nori hissed. His fingers clenched.

Thorin sighed then, and leaned against the door. "There's nothing illegal about it. Payments can be made in any form the payee can put a value on."

"And that's all well and good, but it's exploitation when his body was all Dori could give. I'm glad to hear you're okay with him having to service Balin or risk Ori's future though. Always nice to see where a king stands on the important social issues of the day."

"It's not-”

"It's sexual slavery, is what it is. Balin boxed Dori into this situation where he had to let him use his body, used it to get a marriage contract out of him, and now he's put Dori in jail over a stupid law that shouldn't even be on the books! Of course Dori helped me out. We're family! Any decent dwarf would do the same for their brothers as he has!"

That seemed to get through to Thorin somewhat. He had family that he worked hard to provide for, family that he had skipped meals for so he would be able to feed them. He sighed and shook his head. "The law is still the law. Our society is founded upon the traditions of our people. We take solace in that, and trust to Mahal's wisdom. I can't just go about changing laws that were put there for a reason."

"Some of our traditions are fucking stupid. If you can't repeal the law, you can make exceptions," Nori pressed, standing. "You can add to the laws, or change them if necessary, and you will. I swear on my 'aman's grave, Dori never did anything to encourage me. He hates what I do, and we've fought over it every time we've seen each other. We resent each other, we don't get along, we don't like each other much at all, but he's my brother and I love him, and I will do whatever I have to if it makes you see reason. He can't stay in there. The guards keep talking about taking turns with him, and I can't just stay put there for two years to protect him. Ori is miserable. Your friend is miserable. There has to be something you can do, or what good are you as King?"

The blow to his pride made Thorin narrow his eyes in rage, but Nori held his ground. He locked eyes with Thorin and didn't back down, reminded all the while of staring down a hunting hound to show dominance over it. Time seemed to stretch out from minutes to hours, but finally Thorin sighed softly. 

"What would you have me do?" he growled, clearly displeased at himself for caving in, even if it was probably the right thing to do.

"Let Dori out. Pardon him for his non-existent crimes. I will pay you if I must. Let him go back to Ori, whether it's in a dirt hole or Balin's fancy home."

Thorin contemplated it for a moment. "I will not compromise Ori's future for the sake of your brother's. If I let him out, he returns to Balin, for him to do as he pleases."

Nori groaned. "That's really not the best thing for Dori. They were using him!"

"From my point of view it rather looks like Dori was using him, seducing him for Ori's education and a nicer place to live. You won't convince a soul who knows Balin otherwise."

"That's not fair."

"Life often isn't," Thorin growled. His voice was low and bitter. "I will discuss the matter with Balin. Return to your cell and remain there, or I will not bargain with you any further."

It was a good enough start. Nori bowed to him mockingly and headed back to the window. "You have until midnight tomorrow, Your Highness," he said, and slipped back out into the dead of night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time with this one, and I'm sorry if it showed (here's hoping it all makes sense and wasn't too repetitive). I'm still trying to figure out Nori's voice for myself. Hopefully nobody bawled as hard over this chapter as we all did the last one! There's more sadness coming up, but your tears have been pushed back a chapter or two. Honestly, I blame all the fluff that was posted this morning (*coughTheEreborPiratescough*). I totally need some of those angsty, uncertainty-laden, possibly prostitution-related, Ri-centric fics to update.
> 
> Not naming names, but I am staring so hard at two of you right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal is struck, and events are set in motion that cannot be stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of prison rape that didn't happen thank goodness, mentions of domestic sexual abuse. Look, just don't read this if people not being allowed control over their bodies freaks you the fuck out, okay?

Nori had left him there, but unlike all the others times in his life where Dori had desperately needed his younger brother, Nori came back. He threaten and beat the snot out of a couple guards that had been harassing Dori, and used the chance to take out his own anger on them. Once they were knocked out, he decided that he might as well just let himself into his brother's cell. He took the keys off the unconscious guardsmen and dragged the important stuff from his cell into Dori's, and dragged them into his.

Once the door was closed he sat down on Dori's mat and tugged him into his arms. Dori clung to him and suppressed tears. "I thought you had left me alone here to suffer," he whispered. "I thought you weren't coming back." The relief he felt at seeing Nori again was overwhelming enough on its own, but when  
Nori rubbed his back in slow, soothing circles as he held him, it was too much. Dori cried into his shoulder as quietly as he could, finally doing what he wouldn't have let himself do before. He mourned what he had lost with his actions, the relationship he had been forming with Balin, spending the next two years watching Ori grow, and his almost friendship with Dwalin and some of the neighbors. It was all gone now. Even if Balin ever wanted to take him back, Dori knew the trust would be gone.

He had been so close to falling in love too.

"I saw Ori," Nori told him once Dori had calmed down. "He's not coping well, but he's alive and safe, and still with Balin. I interrupted him trying to get Ori to sleep."

Dori cried a little harder for a moment. At least Ori would have a good life. "You broke in?" he asked, not entirely surprised, but very concerned Nori would make things worse for him.

Nimble fingers kneaded into the shoulder they rested on, trying to soothe the tension out of his touch-starved brother. "I threatened and yelled at him too, then I did the same to the King. They'll listen if they know what's good for them. I have enough pull in the underworld now to make their lives hell if they don't give in, but they don't need to know that."

"I didn't need to know that, Nori," Dori murmured. He felt very safe now, nestled up against his brother. Having news about Ori did his moral some good too.

There was a sudden ruckus from down the hall and someone bellowing threats at Nori and the thief groaned. "I even waited until he was off duty to come back!" he complained as Dwalin stomped up to Nori's former cell. He paused and frowned at the two beaten guards that had been chucked into it, the missing mat, blanket, and chamber pot, and then turned around and stared into Dori's small cell which now held all of those things plus one.

Nori had Dori protectively tucked into his side. Dori wouldn't meet Dwalin's gaze at all, staring down at his knees instead and seeming to close himself off from the world. Dwalin knew Nori noticed from the way he glanced down at Dori and the lines around his eyes tightened.

Nori was scared. Nori, who didn't even fear heights or the wrath of his king was terrified for his brother.

Dwalin didn't know what to do with that knowledge, but it made him even more angry, though he couldn't say at what it was directed.

"I'll be staying with Dori now," Nori said with no small degree of smug satisfaction. Dwalin's face was all rage and annoyance and shock and a surprising hint of worry. It was difficult not to laugh at the expression, but he settled for a triumphant grin instead. "If you want me to stay put for awhile, I mean. Feel free to move me if you want me to leave though."

They both knew he wasn't bluffing, despite his earlier hopes that the newer cells would securely hold Nori, so Dwalin just grunted his assent and jerked a thumb in the direction of the guards. "What did they do?" he asked, for it wasn't in Nori's nature to use extreme violence when he didn't have to. 

"They were threatening Dori and his... ah... How did they put it? 'Plump, juicy ass', I believe they said. I could hardly just let them get away with it."

Dwalin held out his hand through the bars and Nori tossed him the keys. He opened the cell door the unconscious dwarrows were in and gestured for a few of his soldiers to come and carry them out and off to the healers. Threatening rape was not something Dwalin took kindly to, and he had never known Nori to lie about guards threatening people in all the years of capturing him and watching him escape. If a fellow inmate was in danger, they knew it by the way Nori stuck around and sometimes took the liberty of moving into their cell to keep them safe. Those guards would be jobless whenever they healed.

"Are their any others giving him a hard time?"

"Probably not anymore," Nori said with a shrug. "I imagine that's not why you stormed in here well after you're supposed to be off though. I didn't hurt any of them, only threatened and spoke my mind."

Dwalin growled at him, reminded of what had set him off. "You threatened my brother and the King!"

Another shrug. "Only a little. I did a hell of a lot less than either of them deserved, to be perfectly honest with you for a change. You lot and your damned rules and your damned system!" Nori shook his head and clutched Dori to him a little tighter as he began to tremble a little. "You never stop to think about the people your precious ideals fail. Not everything is Mahal's will, and what worked centuries ago doesn't necessarily work for today. Times change whether we want to or not, whether slow or fast, and anything that doesn't keep up doesn't work! The system is broken, Dwalin, and undeserving, innocent people have to pay for it every day."

"Justice must be done."

"What about the people who screwed out of it because of the system? Laws should be written to protect the people who need it, not you bastards who operate above it and manipulate it. Dori has lost everything because of it! You and your bastard of a brother used him and threw him out and kept the only good thing either of us still had. You've refused to give us any news of Ori, no one has dared come to visit Dori, not even the dwarrow who was supposed to be his loving husband by now.

"You find me one dwarrow - any one at all - that would throw their brother to the streets over committing petty theft. We're loyal to family to a fault, you won't find a soul who'd do it!"

Dwalin rolled his eyes, but Nori thought he might have seen a hint of guilt there. "I'm not here to debate law with you. I just needed a confession to add the charge to the list you've racked up," he snapped, and turned and stomped away. Nori turned his attention immediately back to Dori and sighed. 

"I'll make them see sense somehow," he muttered. "Even if I have to do it the hard way." Dori was still unresponsive, and he clutched him tightly to his chest, hoping that in some way, he was providing comfort.

\---

Thorin came just after lunch the next day. Nori and Dori were led to a visiting room in the prison, guarded only by Dwalin. He guessed Dwalin was done losing people to Nori's knives during escape attempts and didn't feel like putting lives at risk. He would get away no matter what, so it didn't really matter how many or how few guards there were. Dori was quiet on the walk down, following Dwalin in silence with his head lowered. Nori studied everything as they walked, noting points in the prison of interest, and studying Dori discreetly. His face was gaunt, the circles under his red eyes were darker than ever, and he was much too thin for Nori's liking. 

Dwalin opened the door for them and Nori set foot inside just in time for something small and entirely too cheerful for this sort of place to brush past his legs and launch itself at Dori with a shout of joy.

They had finally brought Ori. Dori sank to his knees just inside the doorway and clutched their baby brother tightly to his chest. He kissed the top of his head multiple times and held him while Ori cried. Thorin cleared his throat to get Dori's attention after a couple minutes spent waiting and Dori stood, scooping Ori up with him. When Ori saw Nori his eyes went wide as he reached for him, practically launching himself out of Dori's arms to get to him. Nori laughed and took him as Dori handed him over, spinning Ori in a circle and then holding him close as the lad laughed into his neck.

"I missed you guys!" Ori declared. Nori and Dori responded in kind, assuring him of their love and mutual dislike of the forced separation as Thorin gestured them to seats at the table. He, Balin, and Princess Dis sat at one side of it. Dori and Nori took the opposite site, settling Ori between them with Dori sitting as far from Balin as he could get. 

Balin set some parchment and some sticks of colored wax wrapped in the middle with paper across the table to Ori, who took to the idea of drawing pictures to make Dori smile immediately. Dori was grateful that Balin had the sense to have brought Ori some sort of distraction. He ran a hand over Ori's hair, fussing out of nervous habit. He and Nori both kept an arm around or a hand on their baby brother, which Dori noticed didn't go unmissed by Princess Dis, who was eying them both approvingly.

Thorin gave her an exasperated look at her approval, but rolled his eyes and began the meeting. "After much prayer, discussion, and research, we have come to offer a compromise. After the incident last night, which Dwalin informed us about, we are all in agreement that Dori cannot remain here. We also know that you, Nori, are fully capable of coming and going as you please, so it makes little sense to waste energy and resources to try to keep you here. That said, I cannot overturn the law so easily. The four of us and a handful of others spent last night looking in to it. It will be a lengthy and time-consuming process to add provisions on to it, but I am willing to consider making the necessary adjustments to protect as many families as possible from ending up in this situation."

Dori blinked at Thorin in surprise, and glanced over at Nori, who smirked in triumph. "And what about the rest of my provisions? Are they to be met?"

Balin and Dis shared a glance, but it was Thorin who answered again. "If I am to get to work on this law right away and remove you both from this place, then Dori is to go back to Balin to serve the rest of his sentence. In situations where the convicted cannot safely remain in jail, it is within the power of the king or warden to place them under house arrest instead."

"You could just drop the charges," Nori snapped.

Thorin's eyes narrowed. "I cannot, for reasons I shall not explain to the likes of you. This is the deal you are being offered. We will begin trying to expand and fix the law, and Dori may return to Balin's house and continue working there to pay off Ori's education and remain there for his sentence to be with Ori -after which his record will be cleared - or he may stay here and Balin will bring Ori once a fortnight, should he so choose. In either case Balin will retain sole custody of Ori until after the sentence is served, at which point there will be a custody hearing to determine whether or not Dori is fit to take him back again."

Once again, what choice did he have? Dori felt dirty and manipulated by these nobles. He could stay in jail and likely be brutally raped by the guards, or he could go to Balin and have the rights over his own body taken away. Either way, it seemed someone would be using him whether he wished it or not, and all would declare it was for his own good. At least with Balin he could see Ori and might get a damn good orgasm out of the ordeal.

Nori growled at the options presented to them. In any other situation he knew Dori could have negotiated his way to freedom and an apology and a clean name, but he was not in a fit state of mind, nor would he ever be again if he had to remain here and fret over Balin's control over his limited access to Ori. He wasn't surprised when Dori quietly agreed, though he was angry that the others had expected it too, as though it had been done to make him agree to what they wanted him to do.

"Very well," he said softly. His chest was tight with fear and self-loathing. "I will do as you ask, so long as Nori is welcome there when he chooses to see Ori."

There was silence around the table. Ori ignored them, hard at work on a drawing of what appeared to be Nori riding an oliphaunt, as everyone except Dori looked around at everyone else. Dwalin and Balin stepped out of the room to quietly argue in the hall for a moment. When they re-entered, Dwalin was sulking a little from where he leaned against the wall behind Thorin.

"So long as he doesn't steal anything or bring trouble home with him it's all right by me," Balin agreed.

At her end of the table, Princess Dis made a few notes, then nodded to Thorin. "Very well," their King in Exile said. "We will return in the morning to present a contract with the agreed upon terms."

\---

Getting Ori to calm down and go with Balin had been very difficult, but Dori had managed it with a smile and waved them off as they left before Dwalin took the brothers to their cell. He locked them in with a glare and left without bidding them a good day. Dori spent much of it asleep and emotionally miserable. This would be the last day for the next two years that he would have any say over his body regarding who touched it and when. Starting tomorrow he would be little more than a slave. A prisoner was still a prisoner after all, even out of jail. Dori would not be allowed to own or lay claim to any property over the next two years. If any more children somehow came to be between him and Balin, Balin would have the sole rights of parentage to the child, whether it was his or not. All of his clothes, his inheritance from his mother, all of that now belonged to Balin to do as he wished with it, and the thought terrified him.

He had confided in Balin because he thought he could trust him, and Balin had proven that he could not.

Dori slept little that night, though he did spend it curled again Nori for warmth and comfort. Only Mahal knew when he would be permitted another comforting touch besides that of Ori's, which was nice, but it wasn't the same as seeking purely platonic solace in another adult. Nori held him and whispered promises in his ear, that he wouldn't go far, he'd stay as close to home as he could get away with, but he had things he needed to do to urge Thorin along. He did swear to stay through the next couple of nights so Ori could have some time with him while Dori tried to adjust to whatever arrangement Balin had in mind when Dori asked it of him.

When dawn came, they were led out of their cell for the last time and into the same room as the day before. This time it was just Thorin and Balin, Dwalin having apparently stayed home with Ori. Both brothers looked over the contract, examining it for any hidden print, any odd phrasing, and to make sure the terms were correct. Nori made sure both copies were identical, then they all signed the agreement with Thorin as witness. One copy was rolled up and disappeared into Nori's sleeve, the other went with Balin. 

New clothes were presented to Dori, along with soft leather boots, and a cloak. The clothes were silk, more meant to be pleasing to the touch of the one who would be touching Dori, and cut in a way that flattered him from every angle. They felt odd on his skin, but the cloak was comforting. When that was wrapped securely around Dori to protect him from the view of the gossiping housewives Balin had for neighbors Thorin and Balin escorted them in silence back to the house. It was quiet when they entered, Ori having been dragged off for his morning lessons with Dwalin and the young princes, so there was no one present but Nori when they put a thick silver collar around Dori's neck to mark him as prisoner. 

Dori hated it. It wasn't too tight (both Balin and Thorin had checked and double checked and asked multiple times if it was bothering him and commanded him to let Balin know if it ever did), but the weight of it was foreign to him. Nori glowered at it whenever his eyes were on Dori, glaring as though if his look was hot enough with anger he might be able to melt it down and reforge it into something he could use to bludgeon Balin and Thorin to death with right then and there.

Ori had a ton of questions about the collar and the clothes when he got back from his lessons with Dwalin, but Nori managed to distract Ori by asking to see his room instead, and the dwarfling happily tugged him along to go look. Thorin slipped upstairs with Dwalin, the two of them clearly on the verge of falling asleep after having been awake so long to deal with this mess. That left Balin and Dori alone in his office, Dori clutching his trembling hands together in front of him and staring at the floor with his head bowed low, Balin leaning against his desk, arms crossed over his chest. 

Silence stretched between them; neither wanted to be the first to speak. Dori refused to break the silence, determined he would do nothing without permission, would risk nothing that might anger Balin and have him sent away from Ori again. The tightness in his chest returned, and he resolutely ignored it. Finally, Balin sighed. "Is there anything you wish to say to me?" he asked, dearly expecting something from Dori and disappointed it hadn't been given up instantly.

Was it an apology he wanted? Dori knew he had nothing to apologize for (but Balin sorely owed him one), but if it would please Balin, then it would make life easier for them both. He bowed a little more and willed himself to speak. His throat was dry, but nothing had been offered to him, so he would have to endure it. He swallowed to wet his throat.

"I apologize for my actions," he said softly. Dori thought if he spoke any louder that his voice would break. "I should have told you about Nori from the start. I should not have taken Ori and tried to run instead of owning up to my mistakes. They will not happen again."

"No, they will not," Balin said, but at least he sounded satisfied. "You will continue the same duties you had before this mess started. Your responsibilities will be tending to Ori and I. You will not make more than the basest of decisions for him, though I may ask your input from time to time concerning larger ones. You will stick to the punishment and reward system we had worked out for him previously and make sure he gets back to the routine we had him on before."

He paused, as though to see if Dori had any questions, but Dori didn't do more than nod slightly, and so he continued. "None are permitted to touch you without my permission save for Dwalin and your brothers, and you may touch no one without my permission save for Ori unless it is an emergency or to greet or say farewell to Nori. Do you understand, lad?"

What was the appropriate response? Dori highly doubted he was allowed to swear and scream in answer, as he desperately wished to do. He wanted to cry and yell and rage, but he did none of those things and chose something safer. "Yes, my lord," he answered quietly.

"Good, good," Balin murmured. "If you break these rules, if you set one foot out that door, if you show your face when company is here and you are not called for, there will be punishment, though I need to go back through the law books and refresh my memory of what those are. I will let you know tonight. Fili and Kili on their own do not count as company, since they will be here daily for instruction. If you need me for something, you will knock and await permission to enter. If I am outside my office you will wait quietly as you are now for my attention. If I order you to come or to do something, you are to obey without hesitation or question. This is meant as a substitute for your imprisonment, and I cannot go lightly on you. It would be a shame to us both. Do you understand?

Dori nodded again. There were so many new rules to remember that he felt a bit overwhelmed. 

"You will sleep in my room, though no longer in our- in my bed." It hurt to hear Balin correct himself like that and Dori winced a little. "You will sleep on a floor mat for now, though Thorin assures me that good behavior may well earn you your own room with a proper bed in time. It is my duty to select your clothes, though I suspect that I will let you choose more often than not once I have managed to prove to him that I am being strict enough with you. Do you have any questions?"

He had so many he hardly knew where to begin. "There are so many new rules... what happens if I forget them at first?"

Balin seemed to consider it for a moment. "A fair question. I will remind you the first two times, and a third infraction will be punished accordingly, a fourth more severely. Does that seem fair?" Dori nodded. "What else?"

"Do I need your permission to attend to basic needs such as eating, drinking, and other such things?" Balin glanced to the door to make sure Thorin wasn't lurking, then shook his head.

"If Thorin is here and you are called down, then yes, you must wait for permission. If you need to ask for it, you may look me in the eye then to get my attention, and I will grant you permission to speak if it is a good time. Otherwise, no. If something comes up I did not think of, we will address it then. I will not punish you over any rules I did not inform you of.”

Balin's smile was kind, but there was still an edge to it of anger that made Dori nervous. He had no more questions that he was brave enough to ask just yet though, so he fiddled with his hands. "Come," Balin said. "I have changed the bedroom around somewhat. Let me show you where things are and then I think we both ought to take a nap."

What could he do but agree? Dori nodded, and followed him upstairs, to the only room he dreaded entering again as much as his former cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me and reading this far. This is the longest thing I have ever written, and I think we're looking at maybe twenty chapters here now that I have a better idea of where this is going and therefore a better idea of what needs to be done. I have loved reading each and every comment and talking to you all, hearing your thoughts, and using you as sounding boards that sometimes say very evil things that get included and cause pain for us all. The guilty know who are they are. :p
> 
> So, I gave myself some brutal feels there. I totally managed to make myself mad, actually. I'm not sure how this turned from a prompt fill to a social commentary fic, but it has and I'm not at all sorry. It's interesting to get to explore these themes with these characters, in this setting, so that's what I am going to do.
> 
> If it ends up being that it will contribute to the themes here and it moves the story along in the way I need it to go to do what I have in mind then yes, I will include mpreg and I don't give two shits if it's a turnoff for anybody. If you don't like it, that's perfectly okay with me. I have plenty of things that turn me off that I will not read under any or only under very particular circumstances, so I completely understand if you want to deprive yourself of feels and the epic direction in which I have decided to take this. It is your loss.
> 
> That's why I mentioned the possibility of more kids in this chapter, sort of an advanced set up in case I need it, but it's nothing to worry about for now. 
> 
> I hope you're all furious and sobbing, ahahaha! I love hearing how this makes you guys feel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone conspires with Thorin and then later with Nori, and everyone is generally fed up with the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter pushes the limits of dub-con, and is not Safe, Sane, or Consensual.

That morning, like all other mornings, was spent listening to petitioners, responding to formal letters, and attending to all of the other administrative business required from him for trying to a colony of dwarrows into a prosperous kingdom in its own right. It was long, tedious business that lasted from breakfast before dawn straight through until lunch. There was no time to rest then, because the afternoon was spent in the forge working with Dwalin and Dis to earn the money to pay for their lodgings, fill their bellies, and clothe three fast-growing young boys. In the evenings after supper he tutored his nephews, teaching Fili how to make decisions as King, which always devolved into roughhousing with them a bit, and then helped Dis tuck them into bed. After that the night was his own, or so he always fervently hoped.

He had been trying not to spend the last two months wallowing in guilt over his family's own laws failing one of his people (and someone he rather liked, at that), but he could not stop himself from wondering if there wasn't something more he could do. The system was broken, and he knew that, but the only fixes he and Balin had found so far were time-consuming, costly, and risky. Thorin was not sure any of them would be worth it, and he hated that he had to weigh that against the good of a few of his people. It was the sort of decision he felt no one should have to be faced with, and yet still it fell to him regardless of his reluctance to give such thoughts any consideration.

He had failed in his duty as King in Exile to protect all of his people. What would his father and grandfather say, if he were to be called to the Halls of   
Mandos and see them tomorrow? Thorin had a feeling his father at least would be very disappointed in him and he liked to think his grandfather would agree. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, no longer held back from his face with the silver clasp he'd had before Smaug; that had been passed down to Fili for his twentieth birthday. The braids were undone and his hair brushed out in preparation for sleep; he could hardly give the matter proper thoughtfulness while his body felt ready to drop.

A knock came at his window. Thorin turned around, sword in hand, to look through the glass. His visitor had a hood pulled over his hair, which hung loose around his face. The shadows of hair and hood were deep enough that Thorin could not make out his features. Both of his hands were held up, palms out, to show he had no ill intentions toward the King.

"Who are you?" Thorin barked at him. He had heard the whispers from the noble class, that sometimes a figure in a long cloak of apparently no House would come visiting late into the night to extract promises or vengeance, or to offer help where none had been asked. Never had he thought them more than stories, stupid excuses offered up by nobles who had suddenly changed their mind on issues of great importances.

It seemed he had been quite wrong.

"I think you know," the figure said. He opened the window through some trick of his fingers that Thorin could not see and slid in. "You are in quite the interesting moral dilemma, aren't you?"

Oh. The voice was so familiar and so unexpected that he sat down hard on his bed. "You," he snarled. "What in Durin's name are you doing here?"

"Offering you a way to fix things. The law isn't the only problem, after all. My people could help."

Thorin stared at him in disbelief. "You have people?" he asked incredulously. In hindsight he supposed it wasn't that much of a shock.

He got a small flash of teeth that Thorin supposed was supposed to be a smile for his answer, though it reminded him of a hungry, snarling wolf more than it did any expression of happiness. "Of course, I'm telling you this in confidence. You will not like what happens if you breathe a word of this encounter to anybody, or spread the word that I have underlings." The figure made himself comfortable on the window sill and didn't continue until Thorin swore his secrecy, which was acknowledged only with a lazy nod and a disinterested flick of his wrist. He seemed to know that Thorin wouldn't mention him, and he was right.

Thorin could maybe tell his sister or Dwalin, but if anyone else found out and Thorin ever changed his mind on any issue, his people would wonder. They would think him weak for taking his fool's council. No, he would have to keep this meeting between the two of them.

"The attitudes of the people need to change too," the figure continued, "most particularly amongst the nobility. What you've done is not moral in the slightest, whether it follows the letter of the law or not, and more people should be outraged than they are."

"Oh, that's rich, coming fro-”

"I have a plan," the other dwarrow cut him off, clearly not in the mood to listen to a lecture. Thorin fumed silently. "All I ask is that you listen to it."

The cloaked figure moved to Thorin's bed to sit beside him and began to explain his plan to him, and Thorin had to admit it wasn't that bad of an idea, if it could be carefully managed. He made suggestions back, things the other, slightly less experienced in games of intrigue, had not considered. By midnight they had the outline of something he thought workable and not too dangerous.

Mahal willing, it would work.

\---

Two months was a lot longer than the two days Nori had originally planned to stay for, but Balin had requested it himself. Dori needed help in adjusting to the punishment he had given, and having someone there he was willing to talk to about his feelings would help, and Balin knew he owed at least that much to Dori. As much as Nori didn't want to be doing any favors for Balin that didn't include sending him early to Mandos's Halls, this one made quite a bit of sense. It was also less awkward for him to be the one to answer all of Ori's innocent questions, as he didn't blush and stammer over anything as a general rule of thumb. At sixteen there was no way Ori could comprehend the full scope of what was going on, but it upset him that Dori couldn't sleep with Balin anymore, he wasn't allowed to take him to the market or play with him outside, and that the wedding was off, because he really wanted Dori to be happy and he went to tears every time he thought that Dori was sad. Nori had sighed, ruffled Ori's hair, and done his best to explain before distracting the lad by asking what he _did_ like about the change.

It turned out that, aside from Nori sticking around again, Ori loved Dori's new clothes, and delighted in playing dress up in the soft silks, often wrapping Dori's trousers around his head and pretending he was one of the strange Men from the east that Nori had told him stories about. Ori liked how soft they were, and when he was tired he would only go to Dori to lay on because he liked to feel the texture under his nimble little fingers as he slept. With Dori back in the house Ori's routine quickly settled again and Ori was back to being cheerful and well-rested. It might have helped that Nori had been sleeping in his bed at night, taking his time to soak up the presence of his baby brother before he would have to leave again. 

Fortunately for Nori, he could do a lot of the initial work he had discussed with his new sort-of-ally from home. First, as instructed, he had established friends and agents amongst the servants who could listen to conversations that would be hushed in his presence, easily gathering blackmail or whatever was needed to ensure their loyalty. Extra ears in the house would likely prove to be invaluable in the future. It was easy to slip out Ori's window in disguise at night, go to the right places, and say the right words to the right people to get them talking. He was always careful to change disguises before slipping back in and locking the window. His ally had promised swift retribution if he was caught at his task by any members of the household or Guard, and Nori did not doubt it would come.

He itched to leave though, to organize and participate in great heists, to travel about the world, to see new things and swindle new people. There were still likely plenty of decades left for him if he was careful though, and he knew there would likely be less left for Dori if he left, and then Balin might never let him see Ori again, and so he would have to kidnap him, and it would be a big, ugly mess. Chiefly in his mind was the knowledge that his brothers needed him desperately, and he owed it to them now to stick around, since it was sort of his fault anyway that they were in this snafu. Besides, this new game of intrigue might be fun. Espionage was a skill Nori hadn't had much excuse to hone just yet, and this was a perfect reason to practice.

Dori had adjusted beautifully over the last two months with his brothers' help, and Nori hoped that his continued sticking around would result in Dori's continued improvement. While Dori would not speak to Balin, Dwalin, or Thorin unless he had no choice, his nerves seemed settled somewhat during his daily routine, though his eyes searched Nori out often as though he expected Nori to have left every time he turned around. It hurt Nori a little to know what Dori thought of his loyalty, but he deserved it for running away and leaving alone to raise and provide for a baby. He knew he did, and so he couldn't stand proving Dori right on this. Not this time, not when Dori was just beginning to smile again when it was just one or both of his brothers with him. Not when he had finally stopped tensing at Balin's voice or his every single touch. Though Nori knew Dori dreaded going to bed at night (and there was nothing he could do about it without landing Dori back in jail, so to drown out the whimpers and moans from Balin's room he sang bawdy tavern songs to Ori that always resulted in Ori asking very interesting questions at breakfast that made Dori, Balin, and Dwalin turn interesting colors and choke on their food), he seemed okay again in the morning when Nori would privately pull him away to check on him.

On the first day of the third month, he let Nori in on a secret after Balin had gone to Thorin's side to perform his function as chief advisor and Ori and Dwalin had left for the practice fields. "He let me sleep in the bed last night," Dori confessed in a whisper as the two of them set about cleaning up from breakfast (which Nori had cooked, because Dori's was edible, but _his_ cooking actually tasted like food).

Nori's eyes went wide, and he glanced around to make sure none of the servants were in earshot as he whispered back. "Really? I thought that wasn't supposed to happen for a few more months."

"He said... he said he missed having me in his bed." Dori frowned. "I'm not sure if I believe him. It's... difficult to do that now. I don't have any trust for him at all."

Not trusting Balin was something Nori could fully understand and encourage. That one was too clever for his own good, and Nori ought to know: he was the same way. "Why would he lie about it though?" Nori asked, after a moment of thinking. It was odd, but it didn't strike him as being a lie. He made a mental note to check and see if Balin's valet or assistant had heard anything unusual.

"I've no idea," Dori confessed. "He's been... making an effort to be nice, I guess. Mind you, he hasn't once apologized like he made me do the first night back."

Noble dwarrows. Nori sighed. Always too proud for their own good and all convinced they had no serious personal faults. "Well, I'd rather he made an effort and didn't apologize than apologized and treated you terribly."

"I still feel poorly treated," Dori muttered. "He knows I'm terrified of him and yet he does nothing to fix that. There are no reassurances when I'm doing something well, though he's perfectly happy to punish me when I've displeased him."

Nori snorted. "You didn't seem to mind the one you got last night too much," he teased quietly, just to watch Dori blush and stutter. "I'd go so far as to venture that you angered him intentionally just to get a particular kind of rise out of him."

Dori swatted the back of Nori's head with the wet dish cloth in retaliation for the teasing. "That's none of your concern! And it's not like I can just outright ask for what I need in bed when I don't even dare trying to tell him no. I don't want to ask any favors from him and risk them being held over my head later to extend my sentence. If I want or need something I have to trick him into thinking it was his idea to give it to me." A soft sigh came from Dori, and Nori set down the dish he was drying to drape an arm over his shoulder and pull him close. "I hate not having any say over my own body," he muttered into Nori's tunic.

"I'll find a way to fix this," he promised quietly, then pulled away to press their foreheads together. "I will."

"Oh, Nori," Dori murmured fondly. He heard footsteps moving down the hall and reluctantly pulled away. "Come on, let's finish this up. I have other things I need to do before the house is of full of energetic little monsters who would rather die than be still for their lessons."

Nori chuckled. "Hungry little monsters who think all adults were made for climbing and jumping on," he added. "Kili's particularly vicious about it. They're so full of energy. I've no idea how their poor Ma manages to keep up with them."

Dori smiled a little, but it held no joy. A blind man could see the envy he had there, and the bitterness. "Lady Dis has always had plenty of help," he remarked. "Help which have plenty of energy of their own."

"I have no idea how, what with that overly rich food they're so fond of. How can't they even move after more than one of those huge courses? By all rights we ought to have to roll the noble dwarrow everywhere!" Nori was pleased with himself when Dori's smile filled with amusement instead. They both knew the Royal Family hadn't always eaten so well, and sure, the Princess and the lads definitely deserved the increase in food, but it seemed okay to joke about it in private if it got a smile out of his downtrodden older brother.

"Can you imagine battles?" Dori replied. "We'd have to roll them at our enemy, like a ball knocking over pins."

Nori laughed, entertained by the mental image of just rolling Dori's tormentors into battle. "That's hilarious! I don't know, maybe we ought to fatten one or two up and test it first, just to see if that's plausible."

Their shared chuckles were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Nori went to go poke his head into the hall to see who it was. It was only Balin, who nodded in greeting and disappeared into his office. Something appeared to have him shaken. Nori longed to know what it was, but he knew there was no way he'd be able to get the answers out of Balin himself.

"Is _he_ home?" Dori asked, and Nori knew he was asking about Balin by the sheer amount of contempt in the pronoun he used.

Nori nodded. "He looked a bit shaken though. You'd best check on him now before that settles into something worse. I'll finish cleaning up in here and start on lunch."

His brother sighed softly, but dried his hands. Even though the door was slightly ajar, Dori knocked softly on the frame, lowered his head submissively, and averted his eyes, waiting for permission to enter.

"Just the sight I needed to see," Balin said. He sounded stressed, but his tone was not unkind. "Please come in and close the door behind you."

Dori did as instructed and stood just inside the doorway, waiting for further command. Balin sat behind his desk, and he gestured Dori closer. Obediently he followed the instructions to come around the desk and kneel. Dori swallowed his frustration. This was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment, but even if Balin asked first he had no choice. He had said no once already at the start of the week, when he was so sore and aching from use that he was knew he could not take anymore inside him without being damaged. Balin had been angry with him that night, and hadn't been that gentle with his mouth. Dori didn't think the anger was directed at him, but he still bore the brunt of it and had no inclination to face it again.

He pushed the memory away as Balin opened his trousers and freed himself from his smallclothes. The sight of it turned Dori's stomach now, and he had no idea how he had been so very, very fond of that cock before. "Mouth," Balin said, and Dori opened it. The penis wasn't quite fully hard as Balin pressed it in, so Dori wrapped his lips around it and worked the length with his tongue for a moment before applying suction in just the right way to get a moan out of him. A firm but gentle hand rested against the back of his hair before sliding down to unfasten the clasp at the end of the long, simple braid Dori now had to wear as a mark of his status.

Balin slid his fingers through the braid, undoing it so that Dori's red and gray hair fell forward to frame his face. It always pleased him to see such long, beautiful hair worn freely, Dori knew, so he ignored it and took Balin deeper into his mouth. The choked off gasp surprised him, as it was a sound Balin normally only made when he was getting close to his climax. Dori wondered what had him on edge today that he was close to finish already?

The chance to ponder at Balin's mental state was cut short by his hips snapping up and making Dori gag as the cock in his mouth pressed further in than he was prepared for. He made a noise of protest that was cut off by Balin fucking his throat in a steady rhythm. Dori clenched his hands in fury behind his back where Balin could not see and forced his jaw and throat to relax and endure the punishing treatment. At least he wasn't being spanked this time.

Fortunately for Dori he didn't have to endure it for long. Balin came quickly and seemed quite satisfied with just that. Once Dori had swallowed and made sure his mouth was still clean, Balin dismissed him from the room, and apparently from his thoughts. It happened that way frequently now, that Balin would finish and Dori was not permitted to, and it stung him deeply every time. How he had ever started falling for the dwarrow was beyond Dori! Knees and cock aching he rose, gave a bow that went unacknowledged, and left the room. Nori should have Balin's lunch ready by now, and he knew it needed to be fetched and consumed before Dwalin returned with the lads.

Nori did indeed have both meal and drink ready when Dori returned to the kitchen. He frowned at the state of him - clearly aroused and upset, the braid removed from his hair _again_ \- but could not think of anything to do about it besides wordlessly hand him the tray and peck his cheek. It galled him that there was nothing he could just outright do to solve this without complicating their lives further. Perhaps if Ori were older he could kill Balin and they could make a break for it, but Ori was too young to be out on the road. He would not be able to withstand the pace at which they would have to travel to get clear of Dwalin and his men, and there was no guarantee they could get to permanent safety.

They would always be wanted, always be hunted, and one day they might be found and what would happen to sweet, innocent little Ori then?

He didn't know, couldn't risk it, and so he went to work putting together lunch for the rest of the household, and put thoughts of running out of his mind. There was work to be done here, plenty of exciting, intriguing, conspiracy work, and he wasn't about to let all that excitement pass him by.

Not when it might very well save his brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone needs to introduce Balin to the idea of Aftercare. I freaked myself out not writing it in and now I feel horrible. D: 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all cried fewer tears this time. Thorin still needs punched though, but I tried to get at his motivations a bit. I think that after all he's been through (and who knows, maybe he had to sell his mouth once or twice to feed his family) he ought to at least understand a bit of what Dori is going through. I also figure that he would be the most upset to learn that laws don't cover everyone and everything. A law some Durin family member somewhere down the line wrote totally failed to protect some of his people, and he takes his part-time job as King in Exile very seriously, so he's mad and upset about it too, but he has to enforce the law until he can change it.
> 
> Does this all make sense?
> 
> I hope it makes sense.
> 
> I'm still totally outraged with Balin though.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are getting better, some things are getting worse.
> 
> See the end notes for a chance to choose your own sadness in the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably warn you guys that I was in tears writing the first half of this chapter.

By the sixth month Dori couldn't take it anymore. He was an emotional wreck, just barely managing to keep himself together in the presence of others, which was almost always. Even taking a bath didn't grant him any privacy, either because Balin requested Dori join him, or because Nori was concerned he might drown himself either accidentally by exhaustion or on purpose to escape. Dori longed to do it, but resisting his body's natural instincts to fight against such a thing sounded way too exhausting to him to bother with trying.

He wasn't getting much sleep at night. Balin had an active libido, and hungered quite frequently for Dori's body. At night, when they were alone and there was no risk of being eavesdropped on he would take his time with Dori, exploring his body to the fullest before finishing inside him. On days where Dori had gone out of his way to please him Balin would work to get him off with his hand before rolling over and falling asleep. 

There were also plenty of days where Balin seemed disgusted with himself after he finished, and would roll over and ignore Dori, leaving him to stifle his frustrated tears into his pillow. Begging for Balin to roll back over and finish him or give Dori leave to do it himself went straight against what very little pride in himself Dori had left, and he often had to wait quite awhile for his erection to go down before he could sleep and he could ignore the feeling of Balin's seed dripping back out of him.

If Nori hadn't been there so often to help with his chores during the day Dori thought he might have been taken to the healers for exhaustion ages ago. As it was, he felt tired all the time, and not the least bit sick. He had a constant headache that made the afternoons when all three dwarflings were there feel like torture, his body was always sore from the previous night, and his temper was often foul enough now that only the threat of having to go back to jail without Ori could keep him in line.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone when he finally snapped. Nori was out at the market with Ori, Dwalin, and a good deal of the day time servants to restock on what was needed. The house was all but empty, and Balin had summoned Dori to their shared room. Dori went, and was frustrated and tired enough that he did not control himself, pulling away from Balin's touches once the door was shut.

Balin frowned, and at least had the decency to look concerned. "Is everything all right?" he asked. Dori had never refused him before. He came forward again to rest his hands on Dori's shoulders, but the other dwarrow pulled away again, shrugging him off and backing away. 

His eyes narrowed at being treated in such a manner. "What in Durin's name has gotten in to you lately?"

Dori shrugged, and looked down. To Balin's eyes he seemed to be warring with himself, torn between two decisions and fully caught in the middle.

Trapped was a feeling he could very well understand. Servants tended to gossip overly much and he couldn't risk word getting out that he was treating Dori too well, not with the Head of the Kingsguard living with him. Dwalin would be out a job, the both of them likely in jail for committing the crime of not following Dori's sentencing to the letter of the law. Thorin would be disappointed in them both, and the shame they would bring to the line of Durin was unthinkable. It was an awful situation, to be sure, and he imagined it was worse for Dori.

Which was all his fault.

There were footsteps downstairs which headed outside and Balin forced himself to press onward with this while they had a rare moment of privacy. "Dori!" he called, trying to snap the other out of wherever it was he had gone. Balin gave his shoulders a squeeze and was surprised to find himself suddenly on his back clear on the other side of the room. 

"No!" Dori snapped, fists clenched at his side and trembling with rage. His hair hung loose about his face and gave him the look of a wild animal. "I've had it with this! Throw me back in jail and let Nori kidnap Ori away from this! At the least the guards didn't insist on using me like this!"

Balin sat up carefully, trying not to let his swimming head get the best of him. "Dori," he tried gently, but was interrupted immediately.

"No! How dare you! How dare you think that this is at all acceptable? You manipulated me financially into giving you sex, and I was okay with that because the contract we had gave me some power. I could say no! I could pay in some other way! Then we got to know each other, and I liked you! I was almost happy to marry you! Don't ask me how, but I was starting to fall for you! Then you did this!"

Oh. Balin felt his heart drop into his stomach at the news that Dori had been falling for him as well. It hurt to hear it, because he knew what he had done must have hurt even worse than he expected, but it didn't quite overwhelm the anger he still felt at finding out about Nori in the most terrifying way possible. Dori was fuming, pacing the room like a caged animal, and Balin wisely kept quiet and let him get it all out. "I have no control. I don't dare tell you no, because now you're holding Ori over my head! If I refuse you, I might not be here to protect him in the next hour and Mahal knows what you'd do with him. I'm certain if I have to go back to that place I'll never get custody back, will I?"

The energy seemed to leave Dori suddenly and he sank to his knees in the middle of the floor, hands over his eyes, likely hiding tears. It felt like a knife was twisting in his gut, and Balin rather wished it was. A knife to the gut would be better than watching Dori suffer when there was so little he could do about it. 

After a few shuddering breaths Dori continued, "I can't keep being used like this. I'm exhausted and angry all the time. I'm frustrated, and you treat me terribly in bed now. How sexual torture is even considered proper punishment for the crime of caring enough about your own brother not to turn him in is beyond me. I cannot do this anymore, Balin. I just wanted to be happily married and watch Ori learn and grow up safe, and happy, and well fed. And now look what's happened."

His voice softened as he finished, Dori's tone near empty and dead, as his hands fell folded into his lap. There was nothing but the sound of Dori's sobs between them for several long moments. Balin couldn't bring himself to move, or to speak. Dori was right, but there were laws and traditions that had to be upheld. Changing the law was a long and arduous task, and they couldn't just stop enforcing it. Thorin's people and the leaders of nearby cities would think him weak and they could ill afford that right now. Changing such a long-standing law was risky business.

But how did you explain to someone that you weren't sure if their future was worth the risk? How did you explain that you had to weigh the good of the population against their own horrible plight?

At long last, he found the will to move, and crawled across the floor to Dori. Balin sat down beside him and reached up a hand to lightly touch his shoulder. This time, Dori didn't pull away, but let Balin tug him into his arms. He held Dori as he hadn't done since the morning everything had gone wrong, rubbing his back in soothing circles and letting him cry when the emotional damn finally broke. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Dori's head and rested his cheek there. With his free hand he played with Dori's hair, sliding his hand through the fine strands and gently massaging his scalp in the way he knew Dori liked.

So, so badly he wanted to try to explain his side of things, but the words wouldn't come. Nothing he could think of sounded right, and trying to tell Dori that he was just as trapped into the situation likely wouldn't do anything to help his mental condition. Once Dori calmed down, Balin kissed the top of his head again and stood to pull Dori to his feet.

"I will think on what you said," he promised softly as he tugged Dori to the bed, "and on how to phrase the things I need to say. There will be no punishment for this outburst. I can hardly blame you for it. For now, however, I want you to rest. You are to stay in this bed unless you need something for the rest of the day."

The emotional outburst had drained Dori too much to refuse, and Balin knew that. He carefully helped Dori out of his clothes and into his nightshirt, then tucked him into the bed. Until he fell asleep, Balin stayed by his side, trying to ignore the ache in his chest.

\---

There had been a lot of angry stares directed his way from the lower class lately, and Dwalin knew he wasn't the only guard that was experiencing them. Something about the attitude in the settlement was different, though he couldn't put his finger on what, exactly, was causing all the anger. Guards had reported having things thrown at them in the street, some nobles had reported break-ins or attacks. Dwalin had added to Thorin's personal guard, something the King was strangely quite mad about, much to Dwalin's confusion. The entire Royal Family was already heavily protected, but he would take no chance with family.

Not after Erebor.

Not after Azanulbizar.

Ori rode upon his shoulders at the market, claiming that if he rode on Nori's shoulders he couldn't see anything over his hair. His little chin rested on top of Dwalin's shaved head, and his little fingers held on loosely to his forehead or cheeks. Ori chattered away at them about all the things he could see from his new vantage point, and Dwalin and Nori were happy to answer all of the dwarfling's questions about this and that, though Dwalin was frequently distracted by watching Nori's hands to make sure he was behaving.

 _Family_ , Dwalin thought contentedly.

He adored Ori, had since they'd met. The lad was so bright and cheerful, untainted by the unfairness of his life or his current situation. Though he was frequently upset about the way Balin had to treat Dori and didn't fully understand what was going on, Dwalin knew Ori loved them all and was incredibly happy to have four grown-ups in the house to climb all over and read with and cuddle whenever he wanted. They all adored the kid, and all were happy to oblige this tiny, polite little child in whatever he wanted.

On the way deeper into the market, Dwalin suggested they swing by the forge and check on Thorin and Dis, since he was skipping out on them that afternoon to help his brother. Nori shrugged, and Ori was delighted, looking forward to hopefully getting to see Fili.

The "and Kili" was an afterthought that got a chuckle out of Dwalin and Nori.

"I think your brother has his first crush," Dwalin said.

Ori sputtered above him and buried his face in Dwalin's scalp in embarrassment at being found out. "Do _not_!" he argued.

Nori chortled at his brother. "Then why are you blushing so hard, wee brother of mine? You look like a tomato."

"Maybe we should sprinkle salt on him and eat him," Dwalin suggested. 

"We could turn him into ketchup!"

"Maybe make a nice red sauce out of him and put him on noodles?"

"Hey!" Ori snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking down at them both. "I'm right here and I'm _not_ food! If you try to eat me I'll tell on you to Dori and Balin and you'll get spanked and have to stand in the corner one minute for every year of your life!"

Ori sounded so like Dori that both guardsman and thief couldn't help but laugh affectionately at him. "You're right, we're both terribly sorry," Dwalin apologized.

"Oi, speak for yourself," Nori added with a grin.

A few months ago that would have devolved into an outright argument. Now it was simply what it was: a good-natured bit of banter. Dwalin was sure Nori still harbored some resentment toward him over Dori, but after several long fights spent yelling at the thief about just why his hands were completely tied on this one, they had come to an understanding. So long as Dwalin didn't touch Dori (unless Dori wanted it) Nori could tolerate his existence, and so long as Nori didn't commit any crimes in Dwalin's presence, he could learn to cope with Nori being around.

Dwalin figured Dori had enough to put up with anyway, as his brother's sexual appetite had only seemed to grow as the situation frustrated him more. He and Nori had arranged this day off from their normal duties, hoping that getting the servants out of the house and giving the two of them some time alone might help in some way. They had been so close before, and Dwalin knew Balin was damn near smitten with Dori until the night Nori had broken back into their lives.

Privately, he still blamed Nori for a good deal of this, but it was hard to stay mad when the thief was trying so very hard to fix things. It was a new side of him, this strange dwarrow who killed no one unless he had to, who shared beds with other prisoners to defend them from corrupt guardsmen (sticking around just long enough to see justice done to their tormentors before walking out right under the noses of the guards), who had been known to steal and give the money to poor families with children to feed (Dwalin hadn't been able to bring himself to even try to arrest Nori that night). 

A thief with morals.

It was an entirely new concept to him, one that forced him to look at Nori in a different light. He wasn't just a thief. He was a damn good brother, and practically a father to little Ori when he was around in the same odd way that Dori was more or less Ori's mother. Nori was the one who answered the hard questions, talked him into listening to the other adults when he was told to do something he didn't want to do (baths were his least favorite thing of all, and some nights even Nori couldn't sweet-talk him into the tub). Nori was Dori's best support right now, he took more than his fair share of Dori's chores, mindful of Dori's ever growing exhaustion and poor emotional state, and he was the one who took Ori from the room or the house whenever he needed to censor what the boy was seeing or hearing.

And somewhere along the way, he had become a tentative friend to Dwalin between bouts of yelling at each other in frustration over their brothers and taking Ori out and lavishing him with attention.

At least there had been an upside to all of this.

The three of them stepped into the forge, Balin and Dwalin's servants waiting outside. "Hi!" Ori called, waving cheerfully from his perch on Dwalin. "We came to see you!"

Nori chuckled softly, and he and Dwalin gave their own greetings. "How is business today?" Dwalin asked.

"Slow, for a change," Thorin said, and stopped working and stood to pluck Ori off Dwalin. The child latched on to Thorin, wrapping his arms around his neck and chattering about everything they done and seen that day. Thorin was an attentive listener, asking Ori questions that forced the boy to think about what he had seen or done. Dwalin watched with some fondness in his eyes, and was surprised when he glanced over to see a similar look on Nori's face for just a moment before Nori seemed to catch himself and got it under wraps. That was entirely strange, and definitely something to think about later.

The three of them chatted for awhile and Ori was disappointed to learn that the boys were with one of Dis's brothers-in-law for the afternoon. Business began picking up again, so they left , bowing to the Princess as she entered on their way out, and continued along with their errands.

It was near dinner time when they returned with the household staff, and Nori and Dwalin froze at how quiet it was. They shared a glance, silently worrying at each other, and then Nori took Ori from Dwalin and turned and started ordering the servants about while Dwalin went to go find his brother.

The door to the office was opened, and Balin sat in his favorite armchair before the fire, a look of melancholy and anger on his face made more severe by the flickering light of the flames. That was not a good sign. Dwalin shut and locked the door to keep Ori out, then took up a seat in the armchair across from his brother. Balin glanced up at him, then looked back to the fire. Dwalin waited in silence, knowing Balin would talk when he was ready but probably shouldn't be left alone with his thoughts.

"He had a breakdown while you were gone," Balin finally said. "He is not handling this well at all anymore, and I have no idea what I can do about it. As much as I was angry with him, as much as I'm still a bit angry with him, Dori does not deserve this. How can this be justice? What were our ancestors thinking? Surely they could not have been infallible."

Dwalin didn't have anything to say to that sort of blasphemy, so he stayed quiet and let Balin talk it out. "He told me he had been falling for me," he confessed softly, prompting a raised brow from his brother. "He accused me of holding Ori over his head, which I deserved, among other things. There has to be another way."

"Where is he now?" Dwalin asked, ignoring the rest of Balin's train of thought because it made him uncomfortable.

"Asleep. I let him cry himself out and tucked him in. He's beyond exhausted, and it's my fault. I've ordered him to stay on bed rest, but I want Oín to come and have a look at him to make sure there's nothing worse going on with his body." Balin sighed softly. His voice was soft and weak with emotion.

Dwalin stood and patted his shoulder. "I'll send a message for Oín. Maybe you ought to talk to Nori about this, when you're in better sorts. I hear there's a dwarfling in the house dying to have you read one of his new books to him, if you think that might help."

If anybody could bring cheer to Balin, it would be Ori. "Aye," he said. "Very well, send the lad in."

A few minutes later his office was invaded by a happy dwarfling clutching a small stack of books to his tiny chest. "How was your trip to the market?" Balin asked. He reached out to help Ori with the stack. They sat the books on the table next to his chair and Ori yawned and climbed onto his lap.

"Good," he said, and reached over to hand the top book to Balin. "We saw lots of food, and pretty ponies, and then we went to see Mister Thorin and then Nori and Dwalin bought me lots of books!"

Balin chuckled as he opened the book: it was one of fairytales, and he was sure Ori would be fascinated by them. "Did you have fun, my boy?" he asked, and ran a hand over the little one's hair.

"Yeah! I got to ride on Dwalin's shoulders!" he proclaimed loudly, and then looked embarrassed. "Sorry," he whispered. "I forgot to use my indoor voice."

"It's all right. Thank you for remembering." Ori was far too adorable for his own good. Balin pressed their foreheads together briefly in a show of affection, and drew Ori's attention to the book. "Is the one you want to start with?" At Ori's very enthusiastic nod Balin smiled softly and began to read. The little one squirmed into a more comfortable position, his side pressed to Balin's chest, thumb in mouth, and his head tucked up under Balin's chin. Frequent yawns came from him, and Balin wasn't surprised when the lad was out by page ten. Going to the market and being around large crowds was draining for any who preferred the company of books, and Ori was young enough to still grow tired easily and sometimes required an afternoon nap.

A nap might do them both some good. Balin thought it might help clear his head and anyway, his eyes had begun to close on their own. He set the book aside and wrapped both arms around the lad, closing his eyes to join him in sleep.

\---

Dwalin told Nori in hushed whispers what Balin had said as soon as Ori was distracted. Nori frowned and slipped upstairs to check on Dori. He was sleeping soundly, but his face was too warm for Nori's liking. The frown on his face deepened as came back downstairs. "If you'll oversee dinner I'll go fetch your cousin. Let Dori rest. He's got a bit of a fever."

The guardsman frowned. "Should we tell Balin?"

Nori poked his head into Balin's office for a moment, and shook his head. There was a slight smile on his lips as he retrieved a throw from the sitting room and ducked back into the office. This time Dwalin followed him in and couldn't help his small smile either. Nori draped the blanket over them both and rejoined Dwalin further down the hall where they wouldn't risk waking either of their brothers.

"I'll get the servants started on dinner then. Should we hold it for you?"

"No. I'm going to run a couple errands of my own after. I'll be back by  
Ori's bed time." Dwalin watched as Nori pulled his cloak back on. "If Ori asks about Dori, just tell him Dori feels sick and needs to sleep it off."

Nori slipped out the door before Dwalin could protest and made his way through the city. As he moved he paused here and there to pass along quiet instructions to and get information from his people stationed nearby. After he fetched Oín he had another errand to run, and he didn't want to go in to speak to his contact without the latest information.

\---

Oín had just finished his examination of Dori when Nori returned home. Ori wrapped his small arms around Nori's legs and he scooped the lad up into his arms to kiss his cheek and whisper assurances to him as he headed up the stairs to check on Dori. The door to the bedroom was shut and Balin and Dwalin were pacing in the hallway outside the door.

"Mister Oin's been in there forever," Ori whispered to Nori. "Can I go play? I don't want to stand in the hall."

Nori kissed his forehead and sat him down. "Go on and play in your room, but keep the door open so we can hear you, okay?" Ori nodded and ran off, stopping twice to briefly hug Balin and Dwalin's legs. Nori fretted for a moment - the attitude of the people in the streets was fairly temperamental toward all of the nobles - but he thought Ori would be okay alone for awhile. There were people watching the windows carefully, after all.

The sound of the bedroom door opening caught everyone's attention. Oín's face was grim when he stepped into the hallway and closed the door to Balin's room behind him. The three of them stepped close to him, and Oín sat on a bench outside the door.

"He needs rest, and lots of it," Oín told them firmly. "No sex, no chores, no getting out that bed save to stretch every now and then. I'll give him something to help him sleep and stay that way. I've never seen a case of exhaustion this bad before. I don't think he'll be long for this world if he doesn't recover soon."

Nori's heart jumped into his throat. "But if he rests then he should get better, right?” 

Oín nodded his head. "At least three weeks of it. Spending time with Ori ought to help as well. Make sure he eats all three meals and drinks plenty of water. I'll be by to check on him in the morning."

Nori shot Balin a very dirty look at the news, and didn't stick around to hear more for fear of screaming at him and scaring both his brothers. He went into the room he shared with his little brother, pulled Ori into his lap, and listened as Dwalin saw Oín out. "Is Dori going to be okay?" Ori asked.

"Yeah, sweetling, just so long as we let him take lots of naps. His body is sick and just needs extra rest to heal." Nori didn't tell him about any of the other possibilities just yet, not wanting to have to prepare his innocent little brother for the worst.

The worst he hoped would never come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, I'm having a terribly hard time picking between four different paths to take here with Dori. [The list is here](http://thorins-a-plus-parenting.tumblr.com/post/46531284048/i-need-help-with-not-in-gold) and you can send me an ask from that entry (anon or otherwise) with your thoughts. 
> 
> If one doesn't out number any other options I'll just pick the most evil suggestion and work off it... and right now you guys reaaaallllyyyyy don't want me to that. The worst one so far is just so sad. So evil. ~~So delightful.~~
> 
> I'm posting this tonight because I have to be at work forever and idk if I'll have Internet access for the 3.5 hours I'm trapped there between shifts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn what Nori does for a living, meet Bofur, and see Dori's diagnosis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleeaaasssseeee don't kill me how do I Bofur.  
> Edit: Also several paragraphs in the middle vanished on me, but I have fixed that now.

For the rest of the night he played with Ori, and once he was tucked into bed Nori snuck out. He had a meeting he had to go to, but there was something he wanted to do first to make himself feel better. Dori's situation had him in a mind to help others. He lifted the purse of one of the noble dwarrows who was rather rich on his way to the less reputable section of town and tucked it quickly into his own jacket. Few were out at this time of night but miners coming home from the late shift and the prostitutes who served them. One of them caught his attention. He was carrying a rather large bundle for a miner and Nori shadowed him as he slipped into a dark ally. 

Nori watched as the dwarrow changed his clothes right then and there. Off came the silly hat and all his dirty mining gear. The stranger wet a rag with his water skin and used it to clean the dirt off his face and hands. His hair was unbraided, quickly brushed out, and braided again to show that he was for hire.

When the stranger stepped back into the dim light of the street with his bundle repacked Nori was surprised to see just how young this beauty was. It was rare for any dwarrow to work more than one job, tending to devote their entire day to the perfection of their craft. Even more rare was that one so young would have to do it.

He knew who the purse was going to that night. 

"Lovely evening we're having, isn't it?" the stranger greeted. If he was surprised to see Nori there, he did a remarkable job of not showing it.

"It's not so bad, I suppose," Nori answered in kind. He gave the other a small smile, and watched as he approached from Nori's side instead of coming at him directly. It was a trick pickpockets used to get in under someone's guard. Nori had used it countless times.

The stranger's body language reflected sexual interest. It was quite a nice body, but Nori was here to help, not use. "Are you looking for some fun?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind some company," he answered. 

Nori let the stranger tug him into the alley. He stopped the hands that started to touch him by gently grabbing his wrists. "Except that I don't want your services."

"You... don't?" Plainly confused, the younger dwarrow kept talking. "This isn't how I'm used to this going. Well, out with it them, what is it you want?"

A shrug complimented his answer. "I'm not your average dwarrow. All I want is for you to tell me about yourself. Why are you doing this, at your age? I'll pay you handsomely for your time whether you tell me or not, but I'm curious."

Suspicion was all over the face of the younger dwarrow and he held out his hand for the payment in advance. Nori handed it over, and the sheer weight of the bag stunned him. "But... this? Are you sure?"

"I'm certain. All I want are answers," Nori tried to reassure him.

There was a moment of quiet while it was considered, and then the gold was pocketed, a look of shame crossing the younger male's face. "My older cousin Bifur was injured on the last patrol that encountered Orcs. He was the one providing for my little brother and I, but he's got an axe permanently stuck in his head and it's left him all out of sorts paying someone to care for him and doctors ate through our savings. My brother, Bombur... he's too young to work and his apprenticeship fees are expensive, someone has to pay them so I go to work and then I do this."

"Was your cousin a member of the guard?" The name certainly sounded familiar. The kid nodded and Nori frowned. "Shouldn't your family have been paid for his injuries?"

"They only do that for those guards what still have the senses to their paperwork or the ones who actually die, never mind if you have kids to support. So I do this. It's a pretty stupid oversight really, and I offered to do the work for Bifur, but the noble dwarrow in charge just sort of sneered at me and sent me away."

That was a damn stupid rule. His voice was quiet, ashamed, and Nori patted his shoulder. "There's nothing to be ashamed of in doing what you have to for your family. What's your name?"

"It's Bofur."

Nori gave his shoulder a squeeze. "A pleasure. I thank you for your time. Get home then, hmm? You've made enough for one night."

He left the lad in the alley and continued on his way. His new ally-slash-boss would be mad at how hideously tardy he was, but the information gained might be helpful. Dori wasn't the only one being screwed over. The delay at least meant the streets were mostly clear of the late night workers by now and he made his way to the hidden cave they had designated as their meeting place with relative ease, checking carefully to make sure neither of them were followed before entering.

"You're very late," his companion growled at him. Nori waved the concern away.

"Family emergency, or did you not hear about that?"

The other dwarrow frowned. "I did not. Has something happened to one of your brothers?"

Nori sighed and sank down against the hard stone. "Dori's sick. Oín thinks it's exhaustion, but I don't know. He's got an awful fever."

"I am sorry to hear that. May Mahal speed his recovery." A stray lock of hair fell into his eyes, and his new friend irritably brushed it away. 

"Thanks," Nori muttered. "The other reason I was late is because I ran into the youngest prostitute I've ever seen. He couldn't have been older than 80, poor kid. Said his brother is the soldier with the axe stuck in his head from the last Orc raid, and now the dwarrow can't work because of it, they've got no parents, I guess, and someone has to put food on the table and pay his brother's apprenticeship fees." His voice was terribly bitter. That was how Dori had ended up in that mess. "He's working the long shift in the mines and then spending his nights sucking cock on the streets. just like Dori had to, all because some stupid noble won't let him do the paperwork for his cousin."

But unlike Dori, Bofur was trying to take care of three people instead of too and hadn't mentioned some fourth party like Nori that might swoop in and save them all, or fail badly to trying to do so.

His companion sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "The mood in the streets is not foul enough to turn the tide. Mentioning him to your people might help, and I can at least talk our dear Captain of the Kingsguard into fixing that problem. The next time you see him tell him to try again in two days."

Nori nodded his head in agreement. "That was my thought as well, but if the mood gets worse you won't be able to do your own work to feed your family. Anybody ranking higher than dirt is going to get shat on by the angry crowds you've got me trying to whip up."

"And I rank quite a bit higher than dirt. Yes, I know, but I have found little else that might help." 

"Will you let me increase the number of people I have on you and yours for your safety?" He wanted a revolution, not to get anybody assassinated, after all.

There was a moment of silence. "I will consider it. For now see me safely home, and meet me here again in three days - at the correct time, for once."

Nori nodded his head in agreement, and stood. He gestured to the entrance, palm open and up. "I will shadow your steps then. After you."

\---

Once his new ally was safely at home Nori headed down to the night market. He had his own people there, and they would do their job well with the new information. Several of them had suffered injustices of their own at the hands of old laws, written far too long ago to be any good to modern society. Nori tapped a few people on the shoulders as he passed by them, a silent and subtle indication that he required their presence immediately. One by one they turned and carefully followed him into an alleyway. 

It appeared to lead to a dead end, but like all good dwarf-made doors, it was invisible when closed and only those who knew where it was and what the password was could find it. Nori only gave the password out to those few whose loyalty he had, whether by brotherly deeds, blackmail, or fear. There were few who would dare to betray him. Nori was too good at keeping tabs on everybody, of keeping careful track of everything. Anything that happened he knew about it.

Entering the tavern hidden behind the secret door meant a change in bearing for Nori. At home and around family and family friends he was just the middle brother, a thief, sure, but one who cared deeply for his loved ones and was loyal to them to a fault.

Here, he was the Thief of Thieves, and the underworld of this city was his Kingdom. Here, Nori was King.

The tavern fell to silence as he entered, all rising and bowing in deep respect to their King. Nori waved them off and they went back to doing what they had been doing before. He wound his way through the tavern and tapped a couple more on the shoulder before heading his private rooms in the back. They were sparse but comfortable, and he was pleased to see the staff still came in to clean it even when he was sleeping elsewhere. Nori headed into his sort of office, the one place that actually saw any regular use, and gave it a quick but thorough inspection. It didn't look any traps had been set, and none of his had been set off, so he flopped down in his big chair and plopped both of his booted feet up on the desk.

The men he had summoned trickled in, and Nori ordered the last one to shut the door, and for them all to shut their faces. He explained the Bofur lads situation to them, informed them of the story they'd be sharing with the gossiping housewives and poor citizens alike, and then ordered two of them to find out where the poor kid lived and keep an eye on him and his family just in case one of the nobles decided to try and sweep the evidence under the rug, and to pass on his ally's message to him. His men were angry at the story as Nori had hoped they would be. Honestly, they weren't an entirely awful lot: they just really liked violence and theft was all.

The rest of the meeting was spent listening to them talk about his holdings in other cities, and Nori moved some people around, wanting more of his strength gathered in one place in case they were needed to help with his pet project. Every one of his chief lieutenants that were gathered here now had been screwed by an outdated law at some point. They were all very supportive, and all very fond of Dori now that many of them had been on his very secret detail for a few months. Nori made plans with the two that had experience in infiltration to have some of their more trustworthy people placed onto Balin's staff. Nori would feel a bit better for his brothers' safety that way.

He dismissed them when they were finished with their discussions and spent some time trying to force himself to look over the actual accounting work that was required of a young crime lord, but his mind wouldn't focus, and he found himself heading out early. All the traps on his rooms were reset and the notes well hidden before he sauntered out the door and back to bed with Ori.

\---

Oín waited to come over the next morning until Dwalin and Ori had gone to pick up the princes. Balin remained at home to help Nori keep an eye on Dori, but Oín had seemed to feel no remorse in coldly kicking him out of the bedroom for his exam.

Dori couldn't help but notice that Oín was much nicer to Nori.

"How are you feeling, lad?" he asked, and set to poking and prodding his patient.

"I could sleep for another five years with no trouble," Dori responded with a yawn. "The only difference between last night and tonight is that I feel less outraged and more worried about what I did."

Oín paused in his exam to give Dori a serious look. "If he gives you any trouble about that, you let me know, and I'll deal with him myself. Balin should not have pushed you as hard as he did. He may have caused other complications."

"What do you mean?" Dori asked with a frown.

Oín finished his exam and sat on the edge of the bed, one hand resting comfortingly on Dori's arm. "I think you've not been eating enough red meat. I've seen your condition before. We need to get you back in good health, and I'm going to give Thorin and Balin a good talking to about this. It's not the right way to treat someone."

Dori gave him a small smile and a yawn. It was comforting to hear that not everybody in Balin's family was an idiot when it came to people. "Thank you," he murmured softly. His eyes were already trying to drift shut again. Oín patted his arm and stood. 

"You get back to sleep, laddie. I'll go have a talk with my cousin."

Dori nodded in agreement, already halfway to sleep himself, and Oín stepped back into the hall. Balin and Nori both whirled around to look at him, and Oín thought he saw a knife quickly disappear up into Nori's sleeve. Had the lad been threatening his cousin? Interesting.

"Dori's asleep again, and I'd prefer it if he stayed that way until lunch. He's not to get out of that bed for a few weeks yet, and you need to be feeding him more red meat. No more touching him he doesn't want it, no more manipulating him into anything. I don't care if he's being punished, I don't care if he has previous obligations to you two fulfill. You're hurting him, cousin, hurting his soul. Your parents would be ashamed of you. I'm not sure if his spirits will ever recover from his, Balin."

Nori outright smirked at Balin, who shook his head and sighed. "Very well," he agreed after a moment. "But you'll have to tell Thorin that he can't continue like this. I won't be the one to do it."

Oín nodded in agreement. "Aye, I'm fine with that. He's doing his job as King now, isn't he?"

"Should be," Balin said with a nod. Oín clapped his shoulder and left, and Nori and Balin were alone in the hall together again.

Nori waited until he heard the front door shut before turning a glare onto Balin. "You have to fix this. Apologize to him. Treat him right again! Show him you aren't about to kick him out of Ori's life!"

"I don't know where to start! This is the way things are done amongst the nobles, lad. I'm starting to agree with you, but I'm at a complete loss here." For a moment Nori almost felt sorry for Balin, and then the feeling passed and his sanity returned.

"You start with an apology, like I've been telling you for months!" Nori threw his hands up in frustration. Why didn't anybody legitimate ever listen to him? "You can't possibly be fine with this and still be able to dote on Ori so damn lovingly, that's not how the world works. You apologize to him, and you spend every damn day reassuring him and making things up to him, you let him decide when you do or don't have sex and how, and you communicate your feelings and your wants and your needs to him openly and honestly, Fundinson, or I'll make good on all my threats."

"Understood," Balin agreed. 

Nori nodded, satisfied enough with that. "Good. I'm going to go pick up more food for him then. You leave him be, understand?" Balin nodded this time, and so Nori headed out on his own errands.

\---

He managed to break in to Thorin's "council chambers" just in time to overhear almost all of the explosively loud argument he had with Oín over Dori's condition and once the healer left Nori made his presence known. Thorin glared at him, but didn't order him out.

"I imagine you heard the whole thing. What do you want?"

Nori shrugged. "I just want to now what you're going to do. I imagine this is just the sort of thing you don't want getting out to a city slowly growing in unrest."

The threat of blackmail made Thorin roll his eyes. "I'm still not sure what I can do. Even the errands conducted in the dark of night have only opened up so many options for me, and I'm not sure you'd like the one I'm most inclined to suggest."

"Try me," Nori invited. "You won't know for sure unless you speak it, Thorin."

Thorin sank into a chair at the small table he used to meet with advisors, and Nori plopped down on the edge of the table right next to him, comfortably invading Thorin's personal space. It got a growl and a slight flush out of the King which pleased Nori immensely. There were few who had the power to garner that reaction from the King.

"What were those options?" he prompted cheerfully.

It looked like Thorin wanted to smack his leg, but refrained only with great strength. "I'm not sure I want to tell you," he groused, and then he did smack Nori when he got flirtatiously into Thorin's personal space.

"Oooh, I like it rough," he teased. "Come on, surely it can't be that awful, can it? What are you going to do, marry me?" Nori batted his eyelashes at him.

"You could serve his sentence at my side. If you were to wed me, I would have to pardon him, and you."

There was dead silence in the room for a moment, then Nori burst out laughing. Like he'd ever take the suggestion that had gotten Dori into this mess! "Oh come on! Next you'll say the other option was that I work as your Spymaster!"

The look he got in response was serious enough that Nori's jaw dropped and he stilled, tensing. "No way. You didn't seriously consider it, did you?"

Thorin raised an eyebrow at him. Oh, _Durin_ , but he had. "I'm hardly marriage material! I'd be awful at ruling, and I don't do legit work. You know that!"

Was that a small smile tugging at the corners of Thorin's lips at the sight of Nori so flustered? Nori stared at them in shock. "You would be very good at it all, I'm sure, and Dwalin assures me that the only one that can out-cook you is the apprentice chef at the tavern across from my smithy."

"He's a good lad," Nori agreed carefully, ignoring all the other stuff. He already ruled one kingdom and didn't need another, much less fun one hanging over his shoulders too. 

"I could also use a Spymaster," Thorin added, just to watch Nori's reaction. "In taking up either royal post under contract - and not one like Balin made for your brother, I could pardon Dori in another six months, when the first year of his sentence is up." 

It was a half-solution, and could suffice if they couldn't change the law and public opinion sooner. "It's something to think about," he agreed neutrally. Marriage wasn't his style.

That was all he asked, and Thorin let it drop and changed the subject. "How is the rest of the household holding up?" he asked.

Nori told him about the exchange with Balin, and that Ori was afraid of the entire concept of marriage now, and that Dwalin was trying hard to stay out of things and failing more miserably than he would ever admit to. It was easy to give away the details of the situation to him, until Thorin turned the topic slightly.

"And you?" he asked. "How are you handling this?"

The question caught him off guard, and the look on his face told Nori Thorin had done it on purpose and knew it had worked, the sneaky bastard. That was sort of attractive. Most people who did bother to try never succeeded. Nori shrugged at him. "I'll cope. I'm more worried about taking of my brothers."

"That's precisely my point," he stated. "Who will look after the one who helps everyone else? You have taken a lot more onto yourself than I hear you are usually prone to doing. You've stuck around for them. I think that says a lot to your character."

It wasn't necessarily the words so much as that polite, no nonsense tone that brought the slightest pleased flush to Nori's cheeks. Thorin rarely gave compliments, Nori knew now, and they were always sincere when they were given. It was pleasing, but it wasn't necessarily going to get an answer out of him. Thorin had gotten in to his psyche more than he was comfortable with.

"I'm fine," he said, and hopped off the table. Nori let his fingers slide teasingly over Thorin's shoulder blades as he moved behind him and to the exit. "I'll speak to you later, I'm supposed to be running errands."

He fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Thanks to whoever it was (I forget, sorry!) who put the Bofur suggestion in my head. I know you guys totally wanted more sadness, and there just seems to be something in his eyes when I watch the movie that makes me think it could have happened. 
> 
> Nori is a crime lord. I don't know if any of you are familiar with Jarlaxle from The Legend of Drizzt books, but I totally threw in a shout out to him there, and the whole scene was inspired by the earlier books where he spends more time running his criminal organization (if only I could cover Nori in magical boots and clothes and jewelry that don't make a sound unless you want them to and make it easier for you to hide in the shadows).
> 
> You guys have chosen an option. I will not tell you what it is, but you'll know when we get there.
> 
> Please don't murder me over this chapter. D:
> 
> Please remember that I love you.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balin finally gets over himself, something happens with Dori, and Ori makes Nori panic, but it leads to Good Things.

Balin spent the night in Dwalin's room, curled up against his younger brother as he tried to work out in his head the things he would need to say and do the next day. There was a lot he needed to make up for, and though part of him wished to find some way to excuse his actions to Dori the thought of trying to displace  
the blame only made Balin feel more dirty and shameful.

When dawn came, he rose and dressed with his brother who spent several long moments just holding him, their foreheads pressed together, before they headed down to breakfast. Everyone was quiet, even Ori, who was not quite awake yet and seemed to be on the verge of falling into his eggs. It felt like a normal morning, but Dori wasn't downstairs fussing over all of them, and Balin volunteered to take Dori's breakfast to him when he couldn't manage to eat any of his own.

Dori was just waking up when Balin knocked softly and opened the door. He forced a kind smile onto his face and brought the tray of food over to Dori, who made a face at it but tucked in anyway. Balin puttered about the room while Dori ate, tidying it up a bit, and when he finished Balin set the tray in the hall and shut the door behind him. There was a chair next to the bed that they had all been using to sit with Dori. 

"May I?" Balin asked, gesturing to the chair. Dori raised an eyebrow in surprise at his asking for permission, but nodded his head slightly.

He took the seat and took a deep breath, going over in his mind what he needed to say before he spoke it. "I owe you several apologies," he began, and Dori's other eyebrow joined the first.

"I was wondering if you would ever..." Dori trailed off, and nodded for Balin to continue on.

"I should never have allowed you to pay with your body, nor allow it to get the best of me. I should not have tried to force you into marriage, nor should I have seen you punished for Nori's return. I have continued to treat you poorly since then, and I have made you too afraid of me to say no, which I did not intend to do. I should not have held Ori over your head, nor allowed Thorin to do so. I've been a complete ass, Dori, and I will not ask you for the forgiveness I do not deserve. May Mahal punish me himself for the sins I've committed again you. I'm sorry, Dori, and I will do what I can to make this up to you.

"Whatever you wish of myself, you only have to ask. I will deny you nothing within reason, and I will see to your happiness and recovery myself. I never wanted to hurt you. I let my attraction to you and my anger cloud my judgement, and that is error and mine alone. Please, tell me what new boundaries you need to recovery. Let us set them now, so I know what not to do."

Balin met his eyes as he apologized, let Dori see the shame and self-loathing they held. Dori was quiet after Balin finished, but he didn't break his gaze. Eventually, Dori nodded and smiled ever so slightly for him, and Balin relaxed a little.

"You will not touch me without my permission. You will give me my own bed to sleep in and let me wear comfortable clothes. You will give me a bigger say over Ori, and you will stop glowering at Nori whenever you think I'm not looking." Balin blinked in surprise, truly having thought Dori hadn't noticed. Perhaps Ori was right, and he did have eyes in the back of his head.

A yawned escaped Dori as he continued on, "You will be honest with me about your feelings. If you need or want something from me, you will ask it, politely. You will provide for us as you have been, and you will never make the same mistakes again. And you and I will talk about Ori more when I am better rested. For now, that is all I ask, and that you let me go back to sleep for awhile."

"Aye," Balin agreed. "Whatever you wish of me, Dori." He made sure Dori was comfortably tucked in and left for his office where he could quietly sit in misery once he knew Dori was sound asleep.

\---

As the weeks passed by things continued to improve for everyone. The adults sat Ori down and answered his questions about the situation, apologized to him, and told him why it was wrong. He seemed to understand, so they kissed him and doted on him, and Ori continued to grow and learn and dazzle them all with his brilliance.

Nori worked more often with his secret ally, and the mood on the streets were that of tension nearing its breaking point. He and his fellow King had become much closer as well, Nori delighting even more in dropping in on him just to get a reaction out of him. It pleased him to see the normally stoic man react with emotion, and he was smug in knowing he had been the cause of it, normally winding him up, then confiding in him and leaving the King a confused mess that wanted to sympathize with Nori and then kill him.

Balin worked hard to make up for his behavior to Dori, doting on him endlessly until he was recovered, then by treating him as an equal at home. Dori was better with finance than even Balin was, and Dori was pleasantly surprised to discover one day that Balin wished to let him handle it, and that he trusted Dori again. Nori knew the two of them spent a lot of time alone talking about themselves as well as discussing the situation, and he was happy to see them trying to work through it together.

When Dori let Balin make love to him again for the first time in four months, Nori was elated at the quiet and contented look on Dori's face in the morning and knew he would do anything to keep that look there. He didn't interfere in their renewed courtship (though he would threaten Balin as necessary), and he gave them space when it was needed.

When Dori's health tanked at the beginning of the eleventh month, Balin was the one rushing to find Oín and drag him back to the house, and Nori considered that a definite improvement. Nori quietly thought over Dori's behavior in the past few months, and found it made him uneasy how quickly he had returned to sharing his body with Balin and how often he had wanted it throughout the day. He thought of Dori quietly complaining of nausea, of pain and swelling in his ankles, the odd rashes on his body none of them could explain, and the weight gain that shouldn't be happening with the sheer amount of exercise he got during the day.

Nori thought of it, and Nori feared.

He went to bed with Ori that night, while Oín was still examining Dori and questioning him. Nori read him his story and tucked them both in, and clutched his baby brother tightly to his chest. Lying still was hard, the urge to move almost overwhelming. Ori cuddled close though, and clung to his shirt, and didn't let go as Nori lied there and wondered why things had to improve so quickly just to hit them all so hard. He thought it was like what a piece of metal felt, being heated and struck repeatedly in turns until it was forged precisely as its maker intended.

If this was Mahal's will, Nori would have a bone to pick with him if the myth was true about the afterlife.

Ori shifted against him and opened his eyes.

"I can't sleep," he whined, and so Nori ran a hand through his hair to soothe him.

"Dori will be all right," Nori promised, but Ori shook his head and bit his bottom lip in the most adorable way possible.

"Of course he will, he's _Dori_ ,” Ori informed him with a very exasperated look as he corrected him. Nori thought he looked just like Dori. "I'm scared of getting married."

That was sort of cute, but ultimately confusing. Nori frowned down at Ori. "Ori, you're too young to even think about marriage." He switched tactics from playing with Ori's hair to rubbing his back.

That made the little one yawn. "But Fili says I have to marry him when I get big, and I don't want to go to jail!" Ori hissed it at him, obviously trying to be respectful of the late hour and their ill older bother, and Nori kissed his head and didn't let the sick feeling inside him at Ori's statement show on his face.

"Marriage is when two people live together and kiss naked a lot. It's not about jail time, and that's not why Dori had to go, sweetling." Ori made a face at the thought of kissing naked.

"Gross!"

Nori chuckled and switched to patting Ori's back, which made him close his eyes. "Kissing is definitely gross. You've got the right idea, laddie. You should most definitely never, ever try it, and definitely never with Fili." 

"Never gonna do it," Ori swore as he dropped off to sleep.

Nori waited until he was sure the kid was in a deep sleep before he let the panic and fretting take him a bit. Hearing Ori talk like that was heartbreaking, and it was partially his fault. He and the child he suspected Dori might be having deserved to grow up with better world views, and here Ori was, nearly seventeen, and he just thought marriage was about pain.

It broke his heart.

It had been a few days since he had snuck out, and Nori decided he might as well go clear his head now if he was going to be able to talk to Ori about this in the morning. Not entirely sure where he was going to go, he let his feet take him as he hit the concrete. There were only a handful of people he felt he could talk to about this, and all but one were asleep in the house. It took him a few blocks to make up his mind and when he found that he had come to a conclusion, Nori found himself staring up at the royal abode. Emotions that had intensified on his solitary walk here welled up within him, and he checked Thorin's window to see if his candles were still lit.

All the lights were out, but he needed to talk to someone _now_ , so he climbed the tree by Thorin's window and quietly broke in to wake him up.

\---

Nori was the single most frustrating being in all of Middle Earth, and nothing anybody said would ever be able to convince him otherwise. He was a flighty thing for a criminal mastermind, though he had improved in the last eleven or so months in caring for his brothers. None could make him settle, none could keep him locked away. Nori was a force unto himself, going where he pleased when he pleased, and hacking away at the criminal empires of other crime lords for the fun of it.

He delighted in teasing and in tormenting others, and he was always on the move, even during a serious conversation. He fidgeted and paced, gestured and made very dramatic facial expressions, touched and danced away, all in the space of a sentence. Thorin had had it up to his beard with trying to look at him while they talked, because Nori wouldn't hold still. The one time he had brought it up, Nori had just shrugged and told him he might as well just get used to it, that he wasn't going to change just because Thorin's poor neck got sore twisting to look at him.

When Thorin had chucked the nearest heavy object at him, Nori had laughed and dodged as he'd climbed back out the window, letting loose with playful insults and teasing him the whole way down.

After all these months of seeing this side of Nori that Thorin knew something was very, very wrong when Nori climbed into his window after he was already in bed one night and sat somberly on the edge of it. He was very still, back bowed slightly, elbows on his knees, and his face in his hands. Seeing him like this now was wrong. Nori was always annoyingly and disgustingly cheerful if he came by and had to wake Thorin for whatever reason.

Thorin refrained from killing him, rolled from his stomach to his side and studied him for a second or two before speaking, his heart hammering in his chest. "What has happened?" he whispered, fearing the worst.

"It's all too much," Nori murmured, and his voice sounded very pained. Thorin sat up and leaned against the headboard, watching and waiting for him to explain. "Ori told me tonight that he's never going to get married."

Hardly seeing why that was worth waking him up, Thorin raised an eyebrow, his way of letting Nori know he had better make his point quickly. Nori continued on, still not looking at him, his voice carrying more than a hint of bitterness and sorrow. "He doesn't want to go to jail."

That was odd, but he nodded for Nori to continue when he sat up and turned in the bed to face Thorin. "He thinks that if he marries Fili - and apparently your nephew has tried to order him into it, you ought to talk to him about that -that he will be sad and have to go live in jail like Dori. He told me he doesn't ever want to be sick and sad like that, or have to let Fili hurt him, and I just... I couldn't stay there tonight. I needed to talk to someone. I'm so worried for him, this is how my seventeen year old little brother sees the world! The kid can barely read, and he's already a fuckin' cynic!"

To hear that his nephew thought that was at all okay was very telling of the mindset of the people he had been around, and Thorin sighed softly. "I will talk to him," he promised. "I won't have him making Balin's mistakes."

"Thank you," Nori murmured softly. His face and voice still held... something. Thorin studied him for a moment longer, and Nori looked down, his shoulders shaking slightly with repressed emotion.

"What else is wrong?" Thorin asked.

Nori wouldn't look at him, so Thorin gently reached out to cup his chin and turn his head to face him. "Nori," he pleaded softly, "tell me." Nori had woken him up, the least he could do was get it all off his chest now.

His companion drew a shuddering breath, the kind that told Thorin that a person wasn't too far from tears, but he didn't pull away from Thorin's touch for a change. "I told you that they were having sex again, yes?" he asked. Thorin nodded, immediately not liking where this was going. "I think he's pregnant. I'm not sure if he's put it together yet, but the signs are all there, and even if things are better..."

"It's not the best environment for a child to be in," Thorin finished for him. It would be young enough to not remember anything for another twelve to fourteen years after its birth, but Thorin wondered if Dori was even psychologically ready for such a thing. Could either he or Balin handle it? He sighed quietly, suddenly feeling very old and very sad and very ashamed of his own class, and of himself for not catching this all sooner and not having a way to easily fix it.

"I don't want my niece or nephew to have the same thoughts as Ori," Nori confessed. "I don't want to risk the child being used as a bargaining chip, or growing up thinking that the sort of behaviors it would see are normal and acceptable. The possibilities terrify me." Though his voice was but a whisper Thorin could hear how difficult it was for him to get this out, to share something so deep and personal as a fear with him. They had come quite far, he supposed, and he was surprised to find himself feeling pleased that Nori, King of the Underworld seemed to trust him, King of the Mountain, with his burdens.

Thorin rubbed his thumb over Nori's cheek, feeling the soft strands of his beard beneath the digit. He felt it as Nori leaned almost imperceptibly into the touch, and that pleased him as well. "It won't happen," he murmured firmly. "You and I won't let it. Dori and Dwalin won't let it happen either. Any child from Dori and Balin will be sharp-witted enough to understand right from wrong and it will have the courage and the strength to speak out against such wrong-doing, because we will all teach it to do so. There is nothing to fret over right now, Nori. You do not even know for sure just yet."

Nori nodded and took a deep breath. Thorin withdrew his hand, and Nori reached for it without even thinking about it. "I don't want it born while Dori is serving time," he hissed suddenly, eyes wild and terrified. Thorin felt his hand shake and he gave it a squeeze and rubbed the back of it with his other hand, trying to keep Nori calm so he would not wake the rest of the household. 

"Nori-,” he tried to calm him, but Nori ignored him.

"That's not fair to the child, to be born to a criminal who isn't really a criminal. Thorin, _please_ , I am begging you for a solution. Tell me what I must do to see my brother free and happy before the child comes. Tell me what I must do to make sure Balin can never separate them if Dori doesn't wish it. Tell me what I must do to keep the child from ever being used against him. Tell me, and I will do it! If you cannot come up with anything, we will flee, and I will throw all of my considerable resources against you and you will never find us nor see any of us again!"

 

Nori was trembling badly and Thorin did not like the thought of never seeing any of them again. While he would be assured a good night's sleep without Nori sneaking into his room at night, the thought made him feel oddly empty. He used the hand in his grasp to tug Nori into his arms. The thief let himself be tugged and caught for once, and Thorin knew that even in his grief and fear Nori would not permit this if he hadn't wanted it as well. Thorin held him tighter for the knowledge of it, rubbed soothing circles on his back, and rested his face against the peaks of Nori's hair. When Nori melted against his skin, Thorin felt something stir inside him, and he wondered at the sensation. 

There as a need to protect, surely, and a strong need to comfort him. There was something else under that, something he had never felt before but had heard about. His body felt like it was on fire at all the points where he and Nori were connected in ways he had never felt when making love with Dwalin. Thorin looked down at Nori in shock, and was surprised to see the same startled expression on Nori's face.

"Oh," they said together in understanding.

"But we've had skin contact so many other times before," Nori pondered aloud.

Thorin took a deep and shaky breath. "The connection does not always show itself right away."

There were another few moments of silence between them interrupted by nothing but their own breathing and the sound of their hearts hammering in their chests before Nori collected himself enough to speak. His body tensed slightly in the moment before he spoke, prompting Thorin to look down at him. "Now what?" he murmured into Thorin's warm, bare chest, refusing to meet Thorin's gaze. If he noticed how fast Thorin's heart was beating, he did not comment on it.

"Nothing must change unless you wish it to change," Thorin told him. "I will force you into nothing. I will offer you the post of Spymaster again for Dori and for want of one with your network and abilities, and my trust that you will not abuse it, but I will not force you to wed if you do not wish it. I will not trap you and keep you here, Nori, for that is not who you are."

A strange look came over Nori's face then before it brightened a bit in genuine cheer. That was better. Nori sat up so they were eye to eye, and Thorin's body tried to follow the warmth of his before he regained control of himself and settled back against the headboard.

"If I accept, Dori is still pardoned at the end of the first year?" 

Thorin nodded. "Aye. As are you, and may Mahal remove the tongues of those who would speak against your house."

"And Dori?" 

"Will be given recompense if I can find the funds for it. If not, I can at least provide a home of your own for the three of you and this potential child. He will receive full custody of Ori and may determine if Balin is still an appropriate teacher for him or not. If he wishes for Balin to be involved with any future children or to try to continue his relationship with him, then that will be fully his decision."

Nori leaned his forehead against Thorin's, an invasion of his space that made Thorin blush ever so slightly in the darkness. He lifted a hand and rested it on Nori's shoulder, taking comfort in the utter intimacy of the gesture. "You have come so far," Nori murmured proudly. 

"I have you to thank for that," Thorin breathed. The thief gently brushed a strand of hair back behind Thorin's ear that had fallen over both their faces, making Thorin shiver a little.

"I need to get back before anyone realizes I've snuck out." Nori didn't want to pull away though. He pressed a little closer to Thorin, and lifted a hand to touch his bare chest. Thorin's skin buzzed pleasantly at the contact.

Thorin slid his hand down from Nori's shoulder to his arm, touches gentle and teasing. When Nori shivered he smirked slightly. "Ori might awake at any time to find you gone."

"They'd call out the guard, looking for me." Their lips moved closer together.

"Only to find you still in my bed, worn out and naked," Thorin replied, voice a deep and hungry growl and leaned in to close the distance.

Next door, Kili awoke and started crying, and Thorin groaned in frustration as Nori pulled away. "Maybe next time," the King of Thieves whispered with a grin, then slipped away out the window.

Thorin spent a full minute swearing softly at the figure that had already retreated into the shadows of the street by the time he got up to close and lock the window, and went to go calm his young nephew.

Mahal, but Nori was the most irritating person he'd ever met, and now he had a whole other list of reason to add onto the first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, ten chapters and 30,000+ words already? Geez.
> 
> So next chapter I'll for sure reveal the option you guys picked to torture yourselves with. I was going to do it this chapter, but my lasagne will be done in like twenty minutes so you guys can just hang in there and find out if Nori is right or horrendously and thankfully wrong next chapter.
> 
> The last part of this was originally going to be a side story, but then I decided to keep it. I actually wrote it first and then had to sort of figure out how to get from the six month time point to the almost one year time point. I do plan to cover some of the missing stuff in the side stories, maybe some Nori teasing Thorin, Fili trying to marry Ori, and definitely Balin and Dori trying to heal each other. Maybe we'll get to see something from Dwalin's point of view as well.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of Dori's problem is revealed, and sex happens.

Instead of bringing Ori home with him after practice and his nap, Dwalin took all three of the boys back to Dis, and Ori was thrilled to get to stay and help bake cookies. Dwalin threw a cloak over Thorin and pulled the hood low over his head to disguise him from the slightly rowdy peasants outside, and brought him back home with him to hear Oin's diagnosis. 

Nori and Balin were back to pacing the upstairs hallway, when they hung their cloaks and came up, both fretting and upset. "Has he been in there since I left this morning?" Dwalin murmured. 

"Aye," Nori replied quietly. "He's come out a time or two to ask us questions, but he's mostly been talking with Dori and won't let us in."

He had stopped close enough to them for both Thorin and Dwalin to see that he was fairly well scared, and that surprised Dwalin. Not once in all his years of knowing and chasing Nori had he ever seen him look afraid. It didn't sit well in his stomach. 

Thorin lifted a hand to Nori's shoulder, and the touch seemed to have some sort of odd... effect. Nori visibly relaxed and seemed to lean into it a little. Huh. 

Interesting.

As long as Dwalin had known him, Thorin had never really shown much of a romantic interest in anybody. Oh, he liked sex just fine, and being fucked senseless when he was too stressed or upset to do his duty worked wonders on his mood. It was just that Dwalin had rarely seen him give physical comfort like a simple touch to anyone over the age of fifty.

Dwalin shrugged the thought out of his mind. If Thorin had a thing for Nori and wanted him to know, he'd tell him in his own time. It wasn't any of his business unless his friends chose otherwise. He turned instead to check on his brother, and gently bumped foreheads with him to try to calm him. Balin gripped his forearms, but said nothing, looking very weary and upset. 

In his peripheral vision he could see Nori and Thorin whispering close together, and Dwalin thought he heard Thorin ask if Nori still thought Dori might be pregnant. He had just enough time to wonder when the two of them would have even found time to talk about that yesterday when the door opened, and Balin was called into the room. Through the opening in the door the three left in the hallway could just make out Dori sitting shocked in bed and they exchanged worried glances as the door closed. 

\---

Inside the room, Dori sat tense with shock. He's had plenty of sex over the course of his life and never had anything come from it. Oin sat and tried to talk him through it, but Dori was in shock, torn between horror that this had to happen right now and extreme joy that it finally had.

There was fear there too, fear of what would happen to the child, born to a criminal. Oin stepped out to get Balin, and Dori reached blindly for him when he sat on the edge of the bed. The long, skilled fingers of his lover and captor gripped his tightly, and Balin rested their foreheads together.

"It is as we feared," Dori breathed, and he felt Balin tense against him. Oin watched them from the door for a moment before disappearing to give theme privacy, and Dori was glad for it.

"It"s a bad time for a child to come to us," Balin murmured. "How much time do you have left?"

Dori sighed softly and pulled away to flop back against his pillows. "Only ten months."

It was good and bad news: the child had been conceived willingly, but it would not be born before his sentence was up. The laws surrounding this were confusing and desperately needed to be rewritten, but since there was rarely a case concerning them they had been left alone for centuries. Being of Durin's line, Balin would have to do what they said when it came to this, since another solution had yet to be found.

Where a child was concerned - where his child was concerned - Balin did not think he would be able to obey the law if it put the little one into a bad situation.

A glance down at Dori told Balin he was likely in need of reassurance. "It'll be all right, Dori. I won't let anyone separate you from the baby."

He ran his fingers through Dori's loose hair and pressed their foreheads together tenderly. Dori relaxed a little just as Oin slipped back into the room and approached their bedside. "I have just told your family," he said. "Now I need to talk to you about Dori's health."

\---

They came together in a circle in the hall, Thorin and Dwalin each resting a hand on Nori's arm after Oín had delivered his news and slipped back into the bedroom to discuss what special care Dori would need to take with the expecting parents. Nori leaned against them both, his heart clearly heavy with the news. The impending birth of a new dwarfling was usually a happy occasion for the expecting family, but in this sort of situation, how could any of them be entirely thrilled with the news?

Nori pressed his forehead against Thorin's and leaned into Dwalin's touch. They were all quiet together for several minutes, taking comfort in the presence of each other. The thief seemed to be thinking hard about something, and he nodded as he came to a decision and took a deep breath.

"Does your offer from last night still stand?" he asked Thorin softly.

Thorin made a point of not verbally responding to the inquiring look Dwalin gave him; instead, he gave him a minute shake of his head. Later, then. "You know it does. Whichever offer you choose to take is still yours, Nori."

Nori looked at Dwalin, then back to Thorin, silently asking if it was okay to speak of it in front of him. Thorin nodded. "He'll find out anyway regardless of which option you choose."

"Spymaster then," Nori murmured. "I'll accept the post so long as you never make me quit my other job."

"So long as you never move them against my people, Nori, and you do not interfere with the best interests of them, I accept this condition." Thorin lifted a hand to Dwalin's bicep, a gentle touch that served to quell his rising frustration at not knowing what they were on about. Dwalin glanced down at his hand, and Thorin's fingers moved quickly in their silent tongue.

 _Tell you all tonight_ , he promised. _Be calm_.

Dwalin nodded his acceptance at that. 

Thorin pulled away from them both. "Come. We should give your brother the good news about his impending pardon, though I think we'll leave off telling him your actual position. I don't particularly want to sit through a lecture today."

Nori nodded, tried and failed to smile through his worry, and knocked on the door. Oín opened it to let the three of them in. Nori climbed up onto the bed beside Dori, sitting up at the headboard where he could drape an arm over his big brother's shoulders and tug him close. Thorin sat at the foot of the bed and Dwalin stood behind his brother who sat in the chair next to Dori, and rested his hands on his shoulders.

"We have some good news," Thorin said, and rested a gentle hand on Dori's leg. "At the end of your first year, you will receive a full pardon and apology. You will be completely free again.

Dori and Balin shared a surprised look before Balin turned to look at Thorin. "What was the price of this, laddie?"

Nori grumbled slightly, and Thorin suppressed a smile at seeing him so uncomfortable. It served him right for all the times he had driven Thorin mad in the last week alone. "Nori has agree to take a position as an assistant to me, and with it he shall receive the benefits of the title, one of which is a full pardon for himself and any family members that have served a year of time or more who require it in exchange for his servitude."

The relief on Dori's face brought smiles to everyone else's. His eyes met Thorin's, and Dori smiled at him, something rare and warm and precious. "Thank you," he said, and Thorin knew he meant it.

"It is the least I could do, after all the trouble Balin and I caused you, for which I am most grievously sorry." He gave Dori his most apologetic look, and didn't miss the sudden softness directed at him in Nori's half-hidden eyes.

"It will take me time to forgive any of you, but I do appreciate the apology," Dori told him, and Thorin bowed his head slightly in understanding.

"Should you desire anywhere else to stay when the next month is up, all you have to do is say so. I will see you well cared for, whether or not you choose to remain with Balin. Nori will hold me to my word on that."

Dwalin squeezed Balin's shoulder, and Thorin politely ignored that he had gotten tense at the thought that maybe Dori would not want to stay any longer than he had to. His best friend gave him a look for making the offer in front of Balin and gave him a look that suggested maybe he should leave for awhile.

Thorin stood, and clapped Balin's on the shoulder by way of apology. "I should head back. I'll come and check on you again later in the week." He made for the door, and Nori pecked Dori's cheek and slid off the bed to follow.

"And where do you think you're going?" Dori asked.

"I'm just going to see him out," Nori said with a roll of his eyes. "Unless you want me to go ahead and pick up Ori?"

Thorin stopped to wait for him as the other three conversed quietly across the room. "Yes, you might as well go ahead," Dori agreed after a moment.

Nori grinned and gave him a cheeky wave, then opened the door for Thorin. They pulled on their cloaks and covered their hair, and Nori led the way outside through the door the servants used. It took Thorin a full two minutes to realize they were going the wrong way to his home. 

"Where exactly are we going?" Thorin asked, as he was tugged down an alleyway. 

There was a small apartment Nori kept as a hideout at the end of the alley. "Just to talk," he said as he ducked inside. "Wait here a moment."

Thorin leaned against the alley wall as inconspicuously as possible until Nori reappeared. "It's clear, come on in." 

It was a small, one room affair, with a kitchenette in one corner, a large fireplace for cooking and heat, and a big bed tucked into the other corner. Nori shut the door behind him, and lit a candle so they could see in the sudden dimness of the place. Nori took off his cloak and tossed it into a chair by the fireplace, and Thorin followed suit. The bed looked comfortable, and Nori fairly sank into it as he flopped back onto it. Thorin sat on the edge an appropriate distance away until Nori tutted at him under his breath and tugged on his arm until Thorin was sprawled on his back as well.

From there, it was easy for Nori to curl up against him and wrap an arm over his waist and drape a leg over both of Thorin's. "So," Nori began, taking the liberty of using Thorin's head as a pillow, "about last night."

Thorin's own opinion of it was probably very telling in the way he didn't fight against being manhandled too terribly much. "What about it?" he asked, and shifted them both so that he was on his side when it became clear that Nori was not going to let him up at all. Nori's leg was trapped between his now, and Thorin threw an arm over his waist for good measure. His heart was racing again, and he marveled at the natural fit of their bodies like this.

When he was shifted out of his comfortable position Nori gave Thorin a half-hearted shove and grumbled. "I don't know if I see myself ever getting married. I'm terrible at commitment, and I hardly ever stick around any one place this long. I'm bad at being faithful and I hate being told what to do. I have sticky fingers, I'm bad at courtly manners, and I hate dressing nicely."

Though it was hardly a proper gesture, Thorin shrugged. "I'm a horrible person when I first wake up, I'm quick to temper, I spoil my sister-sons, I dislike being told when I'm wrong, and I'm not good at navigating above ground. I'm too loyal, and old, and a man haunted by his past and dreams of what was and what could be. We're both flawed, Nori. Surely you don't think that makes me enjoy your company any less."

"I just think it's entirely possible that you'll wake up one morning and come to your senses about me if we do ever decide to... give this connection a go."

Thorin snorted. "And you might well feel the same about me. But if you're my One, and I'm your One, how likely do you think that chance is?"

Nori sighed. "Look, I just find you really attractive and you make me feel like it's okay to lower my guard sometimes, and I can think of maybe three or four other people I've ever felt that sort of... of trust for. It's hard not to be a bit paranoid about it."

"I do not give my trust easily, Nori, nor do I give my affections on a whim. You know this. If either of us change our minds, then we will drop it, but if that is clearly not the case, then why are we still talking about it?"

There was a pause as Nori contemplated that, and then shrugged. "No idea," he said, and then he tugged Thorin into a kiss that robbed him of his breath and sent all the blood in his body rushing south.

\---

An hour and one very intense make out session later, and Nori returned home with Ori in his arms. The boy hadn't woken from his nap until shortly after Nori brought Thorin back. He took a few moments to speak quietly to Dis in the kitchen while Thorin tried to rouse Ori without waking his nephews, informing her of his older brother's delicate state. She packed a few herbs into a cloth, which she had rolled up and pushed into Nori's hands.

"Here," she had said. "I had a similar problem when I was pregnant with Kili and putting these into soups and meals helped."

So Nori returned home with Ori clutching the cloth in his hands, cradled in Nori's arms and still yawning and dozing against his shoulder. Dwalin opened the door for him, and Nori let Dwalin relieve him of his handful.

Dwalin raised an eyebrow at him and took in the bounce in Nori's step and the small, content smile on his face. "You're late," he greeted.

"Ori's getting heavy," Nori complained with a smile. "And he wasn't up from his nap when we got back. You know how long it takes to talk him into letting you move him without screaming after a nap."

"That's true enough. Dori and Balin are waiting upstairs. You and I need to talk later." They probably did, he supposed, at least to convince Dwalin he wasn't going to break Thorin. After nodding in acknowledgment Nori took the cloth from Ori and tucked it into his jacket as he followed them upstairs. They were still in the same positions they had been in when Nori had left, but now they were holding hands and talking softly together. Both of them looked frightened - and Nori knew it was probably for vastly different reasons - but put on real smiles at the sight of Ori trying to desperately to go back to sleep in Dwalin's arms.

Dwalin laid the lad down in the bed with Dori and he immediately curled into Dori's side, clinging tightly to him and burying his face in the soft fabric of his nightshirt. "Hello, sweetling," Dori greeted. He ran a hand over Ori's hair, smoothing out the places where it was bunched up from sleep. "Did you have fun?"

Ori nodded his head and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, and but Fili kept trying to kiss me."

Dwalin and Nori rolled their eyes. "I'll talk to him in the morning," Dwalin volunteered. "Sometimes he'll listen to me better than Dis or Thorin. Will that make you feel better?"

"Yeah," Ori answered with a yawn. He sat up and looked around at them. "Why are we all in here?"

Dori and Balin looked at each other and shared a small, secret smile that made Nori think that maybe everything would be okay after all. Balin nodded to Dori, and Dori shifted to sit up more. The three more capable ones got a glare out of him when they all moved to help, but eventually Dori was settled enough to pull Ori into his lap.

"We have news for you, Ori," Dori said, tone cheerful. "I am going to have a baby, so you are going to be an uncle, just like King Thorin."

The confusion on Ori's face was rather adorable. Nori ruffled his hair and Dori swatted his hand away and straightened it out again. The four of them gave Ori a few moments to think about it, knowing that he was still a very sleepy child. Ori frowned at Dori, and tilted his head slightly to the side.

"How?" he asked, stretching the word out. 

Dori gave Nori a look as though he was rather relieved Ori didn't know the answer to that, and Nori frowned at him in offense. Balin interrupted their silent staring-slash-now-a-glaring-contest to answer. "It's growing in his stomach."

Ori gave him a horrified look, then shot the same look at Dori's stomach. "In _there_? With his food?"

"Yes, Ori, in there, but not with his food." Ori scooted away from it, and reached out his hands for Balin to take him, as he was the closest adult not on the bed. Dori muffled his laughter into his fist, faking a cough, and Nori and Dwalin turned their heads away for a moment to regain control of their amusement.

Balin settled him on his knee, but turned around so he could still see Dori, and gently touched his stomach after silently asking permission with a look. "Not up here where his food goes, but down here. There's a special area for the baby to grow in there." Ori looked around at all of them like he thought they were playing a joke on him and they schooled their expressions into serious ones to try to help him believe them.

"Are you joking?" he asked with more suspicious than a sixteen year old probably ought to be able to convey. Nori was so proud of his expressive and precocious little brother. To one so young it probably did sound like make-believe. 

"Not at all," Balin assured him. "That is how Mahal forged us, and how he ensured that we could continue to create other dwarrow. Do you remember when we saw Gloin and his wife last week and how big her stomach was?"

Ori nodded. "It was bigger than Dwalin!"

That got a laugh out of them all, and Balin kissed the top of Ori's head. "That's because she has a baby growing in there right now." 

They could all see the moment where it clicked and Ori thought he had it figured out. "Okay," he agreed, clearly satisfied for now. "Please will you read me a story?"

Dori waved Balin away, and he stood with the dwarfling in his arms. Dwalin left to go see to his other duties and talk to Thorin and then it was just Nori and Dori alone in the bedroom. He took up Balin's chair.

"How are you handling things?" he asked, taking Dori's hand in both of his and pressing a quick kiss to the back of it.

"I'm doing better than Balin, I think. I feel much safer now than I did even four months ago, and I know you won't let any harm come to your niece or nephew." 

Nori grinned at that, rather looking forward to getting to claim the title of uncle. "You know I won't. I'm here, at least until everything is sorted. Thorin won't keep me tied down if I need his leave to get out of the city for awhile."

"Yes, Dwalin had some concerns about that he shared while you were away. When on earth did you two even find time to talk together about this?"

That was the kind of question he didn't want to truly answer, so he shrugged. "I've broken into his council chambers to yell at him a time or two about your situation," he admitted, and refused to explain farther than that. "Look, I'm not the one we need to be concerned about."

The cloth bundle was pulled from his jacket pocket, and Nori unrolled it on the bed. "The Princess sent these over for you. She thinks they ought to help with your dizziness and weakness if I put them into a soup or something or you. Sound good for dinner? I can go cook and you can get some sleep without all of us in your hair about the baby."

As much as he wanted more information Dori was too tired to successfully argue with Nori and he knew they both knew it, so he didn't press further and just nodded instead. "That's fine, thank you."

Nori stood and pressed their foreheads together for a brief moment, taking comfort in that his brother seemed to be happy at the moment, and left him to his rest.

\---

After Ori was in bed that night (and Dwalin had properly threatened him about what would happen if he hurt Thorin and then assured him Thorin had gotten the same talking to) Nori had to sneak out again, this time for a proper meeting with his ally. He was on his way to their meeting place when he bumped into a semi-familiar face. It was the kid from those months before, and he knew him by the hat and the two of his people that happened to be shadowing him.

"Oh, it's you!" The lad waved him over. "I wanted to thank you before, but I never did run into you again! Your advice was spot on: they let me fill out the forms for him and I've been able to get us all by with only one job."

Nori gave him a pleased grin and patted his shoulders. "Good lad. I'm glad to hear it."

Bofur gave him a kind smile - and what a lovely smile it was too. "I've trying to come up with some way I might repay you, but I can't think of a thing you might need from me."

An idea popped into Nori's mind, but he decided he'd have to think it over more later. Being late again would land him in awful trouble. "Tell you what," he began, "meet me back here, same time tomorrow night. If I can't make it I'll send word."

He got a nod, and Nori bid him good evening and continued on his way. None of his men looked like there was anything they needed to speak to him about, so they all ignored each other completely and Nori carried on to his destination, checking carefully for tails or watchers and finding none. He was right on time, and he knew it, but the voice out of the darkness still scolded him.

"I'm fairly certain you're late."

Nori rolled his eyes and sat down in a huff. "'Late' does not mean 'whenever my favorite King of Thieves gets here after me'," he scolded back. "I ran into that kid from before - with the cousin and the axe in his head."

"Ah," his ally said. "You can tell me about that later, I'm sure. I have a mark for your people to hit and not much time to stick around tonight."

Well, that sounded promising. "You have my full attention," he said.

The mark turned out to be the house of one of the older dwarf nobles, renowned for his commitment to tradition. His wife had died some years past and the loss of his One left the old codger hitting the hammer a bit shy of the anvil. Since her passing he had been "sheltering" a few of the people that were in Dori's situation, using them as he saw fit. Some were "criminals", and some were former apprentices trying to pay off the last bit of debt through their journeymen work, and all of them were being used in quite unthinkable ways.

It sickened Nori to think of, and he agreed, though he thought it might take him a few days to organize. That was all for their meeting, and Nori escorted his ally home. He waited a few minutes to be sure none had followed or seen them, and then decided that so long as he was in this neighborhood he might as well enjoy himself.

Nori checked to see if the candles were still burning in Thorin's room, and when he saw that they were he climbed the old tree and tapped softly at the glass. The King had just been undressing for bed, and Nori got a pleasant eyeful from behind before the trousers Thorin slept in made it over his firm and furred thighs and buttocks to sit at his waist. By the time he opened the window - completely topless, the tease - Nori was fairly drooling over him.

"You know, I think if you went around like this all the time nobody would have any trouble changing anything you asked of them," he breathed as he climbed into the room.

His King shut and locked it behind him and pressed Nori into the wall by the window, hands on his hips. "Are you wanting to show me off?" he murmured. Thorin pressed their foreheads together and Nori stilled just long enough to breathe in the feel of him before he lifted his hands to slide down Thorin's slightly less hairy flanks. The shiver he felt as a result was a nice bit of an ego boost. Nori retraced the path back up, then down again to settle his hands at Thorin's waist. There was a hardness pressing into his own growing erection, so Nori rocked his hips forward to slide them together.

Thorin swore softly, cursing in Khuzdul into Nori's ear before taking the lobe into his mouth to teeth with teeth and tongue. It was a weak spot of his, and though Nori was well practiced at being quiet during sex he found himself struggling not to cry out. Everything Thorin did felt far more intense than anything he had ever done with any of his other lovers.

Their hips pressed together again, grinding in a slow, teasing rhythm that had Nori biting and sucking at Thorin's shoulder to keep himself quiet. "I need more," Nori begged quietly, and Thorin nodded and pulled away. 

Working together they pulled the bed far enough away from the wall that the frame wouldn't knock against it and wake Kili, and set about to stripping. Thorin's pants were off in seconds, but when he moved to help Nori out of his layers his hands were playfully batted away. 

"Sit and watch," Nori murmured in his ear, giving his new lover a gentle push onto the bed. He danced back out of range of Thorin's reaching hands and made slow work of his layers, laughing silently when the other male growled that he was moving too slow and could he _please_ hurry up, for Durin's sake!

"Impatient, are we?" Nori asked as he sauntered back to the bed. Counting in his head, he gave Thorin a full twenty seconds to look his fill before straddling his lap and teasing his biceps with nimble fingers and sharp nails. He reveled in the feeling of those big, warm hands on his hips again, the jolt of pleasure the contact brought him and decided that on another night he would have to see how those thick fingers felt when they were inside him or bruising his hips while he was gripped from behind.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Thorin breathed into his ear a mere moment before he lied back on the bed and rolled them so that Nori was beneath him. 

Delighted to be caught off guard, Nori chuckled softly. "I thought you said you'd never trap me," he teased as he nudged Thorin to scoot further onto the bed. Thorin obliged, and soon they were lying in the middle, Nori a warm, willing body beneath him as they ground their erections together. Sweat and precum provided the lubrication, Nori's hands regularly drifting between them to slide the gathering liquid from their slits over their shafts. 

They kissed as they rocked, and when they weren't kissing Thorin was whispering dirty things in Nori's ear that the thief would have never in a hundred Ages of the world thought Thorin would know about or would ever mention. The sound of his voice, low and hungry in Nori's ear as he detailed precisely what he was going to do to him the next time they had this time alone was what got Nori to finish, hard enough that Thorin had to muffle his cries with a kiss as they spent together between their bodies. 

Thorin stood when his legs would hold him only long enough to grab a cloth to clean them both with. He tossed it to the floor and settled back in against Nori, letting his new Spymaster gather him up into his arms. There was only silence and the ghost of comforting, exploring fingers between them for a long time as Thorin rested his head against Nori's chest and listened to his heartbeat, fading in and out of sleep.

"I can't stay," Nori murmured after awhile, startling Thorin from his dozing. 

"Ori?" he whispered back, turning his head just enough to press a kiss to Nori's collarbone.

Nori kissed his forehead in return and slid out from the blankets. "They'll panic if I'm not there," he reminded Thorin, who nodded. "I'll come see you in the morning and we can... figure this out."

Thorin smiled slightly as he watched Nori get dressed, admiring the muscles beneath the fat, and the attractive fur that dusted his pale skin. "All right. I'll be here tomorrow - it's my day to rest."

Nori paused at the window to give him a warg-like grin. "I know," he said, and slipped away into the night after closing and locking the window, leaving Thorin to wonder just how closely his schedule was being tracked and to enjoy the smell of Nori lingering in his bed linens as he drifted off into the deep sleep of the sexually satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a ton of notes I was going to add to this, but this Cabury caramel eggs is so fantastic I forgot everything besides mentioning that I think Dori shall have iron-deficiency anemia with his baby. Oh and if you didn't catch the math, I rolled a D20 and it picked 14 as the number of months dwarves carry.
> 
> idk just ask if you had questions, this egg is so good omg I can't even think


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nori gets into fights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, it's been like two weeks, hi guys, 'sup?

The next day was Nori's first as Spymaster and he was incredibly displeased when Balin woke him early, reminding Nori he had to dress properly and eat before he was meant to go fill out legal paperwork. He slipped out of bed easily and watched as Ori rolled over in his sleep to absorb the warmth left in the space Nori had just vacated. Nori and Balin cooked breakfast in a companionable silence, ate together, and then Balin went to wake Dwalin to mind Ori while Nori took Dori his breakfast. 

Dori pressed their foreheads together, was thoroughly impressed with how good he looked in those robes, assured Nori he was doing fine, and sent his little brother off to work with wishes for good luck and plenty of admonishes about how he could and could not behave in front of the court. Balin and Nori left together - again in a companionable silence - and then the older dwarf guided him to the office of the young dwarrowdam who would handle his paperwork before heading to his own to get his job done.

That took far too long for Nori's liking, but after that he was dismissed for the day since it was the King's day of rest, and he headed over to Thorin's house. It would be too hard to get up the tree or into a window unseen at this time of day, so he decided to surprise his lover by knocking on the front door for once. With his sister gone to mind the forge it was only Thorin and a handful of servants at home, some of whom were spies planted by Nori who were keeping careful eyes on the spies planted by his rivals. He expected a servant to answer the door, but was pleasantly surprised when Thorin himself ushered him inside.

"It's just us and the guards outside here today," Thorin explained when Nori expressed his surprise. "I like to kick the servants out of the house on my day here alone."

That was something he hadn't known, and Nori filed that thought away for future reference.

"You look exceptionally nice today," he continued, looking Nori up and down. Nori was fairly certain Thorin was imagining him without them on, and the thought made his pulse speed up a little.

Nori grinned at him and let Thorin lead him upstairs. "I had to go do paperwork today and Balin insisted I ought to look the part of a noble."

"I shall have to thank him," Thorin said with no small amount of hunger in his voice, and closed the door to his room behind Nori. He flicked the latch shut and pressed Nori against the door with a soft thump. Nori wrapped his arms around Thorin's neck and tugged him into a hot kiss. Thorin's hands settled on his hips again, long strong fingers gripping tightly in just the right spots to turn Nori on.

Thorin broke the kiss eventually, pulling away to slide his lips over what he could reach of Nori's throat. "Why don't we get you out of all this clothing?" Thorin murmured into his skin. 

"Thought we were going to talk," Nori replied, throwing his head back to give Thorin better access.

"Talking can wait. We have the house to ourselves," Thorin pointed out. "We don't have to keep quiet."

That was a good enough reason to Nori, and he responded to the logic in that by pulling Thorin into a hungry kiss that was quickly reciprocated. Their clothes were off moments later and they fell into a naked, tangled heap on the bed to pass the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon, both of them using their high stamina to its fullest extent.

When they had sufficiently recovered and taken the time to get cleaned up and properly redressed, Thorin sat Nori down in the kitchen to talk while he made them a quick lunch. The years in exile had been good for a few things, at least, as Thorin would likely never have been permitted to learn to cook in Erebor. It was a skill that all of them had learned on the road, and Nori thought Thorin in particular had learned it rather well. They ate together, talking about this and that, and though the domesticity of it made Nori tense up, it didn't make him want to run.

It was more the fact that he found this to be oddly comforting that made him want to flee, but he made himself stay. He couldn't run, not until he knew for certain Dori and Ori were perfectly safe, and anyway, running would mean giving up the great sex and he didn't think he was ready for that yet either. Thorin was very, very good with his hands in bed, and Nori was slightly alarmed at how quickly he'd become fond of the dexterous digits (well... and everything attached to them). 

He finished his food and helped Thorin clean up. "So Dori and Balin know," he said a little hesitantly. "Mind if we don't tell too many people?" If word got back to some, he had no doubts a few attempts would be made on Thorin's life in revenge and there was no need to cause himself worry or extra work.

"I'm fine with keeping it to family," Thorin agreed. "No one else needs to know in such a time of political turmoil."

"No need to make either of our jobs harder," Nori added. They shared a smile between them, and then Nori decided that he ought to be heading home. It would be just about time to start dinner when he got back if he left now. They shared a brief kiss at the door, and Nori's stomach fluttered a little in fear at the utter domesticity of it and no small amount of desire and he slipped out into the streets with his cloak hood pulled up to cover his distinctive hair.

Dori was up and about a little when he returned, a servant keeping a watchful eye on him as he moved about. In Balin's office there were the sounds of very cheerful and energetic little boys learning their letters. Nori grinned a little and went to join his brother in the kitchen.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked, removing his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his tunic to start on dinner.

"Not really, but I couldn't handle lying around anymore," Dori said. "How was your day? Is that a hickey on your neck?"

Nori tugged the collar of his tunic up a little higher. "'Course it is," he said. "It's a certain somebody's day off."

His brother rolled his eyes. "I do hope the two of you are being careful. If word of it gets out there might be even more tension between the classes." Nori rolled his eyes in return, but Dori carried on in a low hiss before Nori could stop him. "Besides, you don't want to get knocked up with the King-in-Exile's child, do you?"

The thought of having brat of his own made Nori twitch nearly as much as the thought of being tied to Thorin that way. He shuddered, suddenly a little put off by what the two of them had done earlier. Still, there were ways around something like that. Nori shrugged. "I'm not going to get knocked up," he argued. "I'd have been pregnant ages ago if I could bear." The thought of him having sex clearly didn't agree with Mother Dori, who shook his head at him and gave him a stern look.

"I thought the same thing, and now look at me," he interjected.

"Besides," Nori added casually as though Dori hadn't spoken, "there are ways to avoid getting pregnant."

Dori looked at him like he had just spent the last few minutes spouting blasphemy against Mahal, and Nori supposed after a moment's thought that, in a way, he had. For a race whose population had dwindled drastically (thanks to so many reckless wars raged by their leaders), whose birth rates were so low, and whose infant mortality rates were rather atrocious, the idea of using any herbs to sabotage the process of making a child was inconceivable. The Kings of their people had long ago forbidden such practices, likening the use of such things to a betrayal of their race, and the ultimate crime against their Maker. Some Kings banished the accused, some had them killed.

Nori honestly didn't have any issues with it, and he pretty much didn't care what Thorin thought. Plenty of housewives used the herbs his people smuggled in to the city and sold under different names to avoid having kids they didn't want or couldn't afford. Nori thought it was a brilliant solution to keeping poor families from sinking further into poverty with an unexpected addition while still being able to have sex. Then, of course, there was the thought in his head that if anybody tried to tell him what he could and couldn't do with his own body they could go get stuffed and his people would happily arrange it.

If Nori wanted dwarflings then, unlike his brother, he would be the one to decide when and how that happened.

Not Thorin.

Not Dori.

Him.

"If you get caught doing that you will get both you and him into all sorts of trouble!" Dori scolded quietly. "Nori, you ought to know better by your age, those sorts of things are forbidden for a reason, you can't just-!"

Nori glared at him, and cut him off. "The hell I can't! It's my body, Dori, not yours, or Thorin's, or Mahal's! I won't bring a child into the world I'm not prepared to take care of!"

Maybe his tone had been a little accusatory. Happy at having a niece or nephew though he was, Nori was still pissed that it was happening _now_. Dori started as though he had been slapped, and he got up from the table and stormed out of the room without another word, leaving Nori cursing quietly at the table.

Once dinner was underway and Fili and Kili gone for the day he felt calm enough to talk, and knocked softly on the door to Dori and Balin's room. There were low voices inside, but they fell silent at the sound. Balin opened the door and gave him a dirty look that made Nori feel just the teensiest bit guilty. "I think you've done enough damage for the afternoon, don't you?" Balin asked testily. "He's feeling much worse now, no thanks to you!"

Nori scuffed the toe of his boot over the floor, put his hands behind his back, and did his best to look contrite in a way that he knew would remind Balin of Ori. "I came to apologize," he said, "and to check on him."

The attempt at manipulation must have worked, because after a moment Balin sighed softly and stepped aside to let him in. Dori was lying on the bed, looking as though he had been crying for several days instead of an hour. Ori was passed out next to him on the bed, cuddled in to his big brother's side. The chair wasn't anywhere near the side of the bed, so Nori figured Balin must have been curled up on the bed with his siblings to hold and comfort them. Nori pulled the chair up as quietly as possible and sat down in it. Dori glared at him, so Nori grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to the back. 

Usually, the trick worked to calm Dori down.

Today it got him a half-hearted slap.

"I didn't mean for it to come out that harshly," Nori said quietly once he had recaptured Dori's hand. "I really didn't. I'm sorry I upset you."

Dori sighed and gave his hand a soft squeeze that had none of its usual strength to it. That worried Nori quite a bit; dwarves were hardy folk, and it took a lot to wear them down, especially one with as much physical strength as his dear brother had been gifted with by Mahal or luck of birth or wherever it was from which such things came.

"I know you didn't," he said, and sounded too tired to argue, which was a sure sign that something was wrong to Nori. "I just need to rest for awhile without feeling like you blame me for this."

Blame Dori for it? As far as Nori was concerned, Balin was the one really at fault here, but it was hard for him not to wonder if maybe Dori couldn't have found another way. If he could have found another way. Not that Dori needed to know that. Nori kissed his hand again. Had any of them done all they could? 

"It's not your fault, my dear brother," he assured Dori. "I'm not blaming the victim here. We've all done what we had to do." Nori glanced over his shoulder at Balin, who placed a hand on the back of his chair. "All of us have."

Balin's hand moved to rest on his shoulder, which Nori took as a sign that Balin wasn't as mad at him as he'd been when he opened the bedroom door. "Perhaps we're all feeling a bit guilty today," he suggested softly, and Nori chuckled a bit. The older dwarf saw him through him far more often than he liked.

"I feel like we all could have done more than we did," he admitted after a moment, purely because he thought it might score him points with Dori and Balin.

Dori's smile had softened, and he had just opened his mouth to reply when there was a terrible racket from downstairs. They all heard the sound of glass smashing followed by screams. Nori and Balin were out of the room and down the front stairs in a heartbeat. Nori could see through the shattered window that there was a large and angry crowd outside, and he knew something was wrong. 

"What happened?" he growled to one of the servants who happened to work for him.

The man masquerading as kitchen help was shaking slightly. "I think word got out about your brother," he whispered back quietly. "Dwalin's coming with the Kingsguard, but we had no warning there were people coming." Nori swore quietly and ushered Balin back upstairs after giving his man orders to go turn off the oven. Dinner could wait. 

"Stay put," Nori told him. "Dwalin's likely on his way, but I'm going to slip out and see if I can learn anything."

He was gone before either Dori or Balin could argue.

\---

Thanks to a large number of Nori's people that had come to see what was going on pretending to grumble but obey the order to leave, Dwalin's own men had a mercifully easy time dispersing the angry crowd and sending them away. Dinner was only a bit late, and Nori was glad to come inside to finish it to find out that Ori had slept through the entire thing. The adults tried to keep dinner a cheerful affair, and Ori thankfully didn't seem to pick up that anything was wrong, except that the window was broken, and he hoped they wouldn't get too cold. Dwalin went to supervise the changing of the guard outside their home, and Nori left early in the evening while Ori was reading with Balin to go slip his own men into Dwalin's people. One of his lieutenants would be inside or outside their home at all times, much to Nori's relief. There would always be someone with his brothers who knew how to get a hold of him.

Once the rest of the household was in bed Nori slipped out again. He had a meeting with that Bofur chap, and then a few choice words to say to his ally. The meeting with Bofur went well, and Nori was assured of a new spy in the mines, and then he slipped through his boss's bedroom window and waited.

It was a short wait.

"Have you heard the news?" he hissed. "About the attack?"

His ally sighed and sat down heavily on his bed. "I had heard, yes. What brought it on?"

"Word has already gotten out about the baby. I'm still not sure which servant overheard us and opened their mouths, but they'll be dead in an alley by tomorrow night." Or so help him. Nori paced back and forth, footfalls strangely silent on the wooden floors. 

"Is anyone hurt?" he asked, and Nori shook his head at the look of concern on his face. "No, thank Mahal, but it's only a matter of a time. I can't push the people into attacking the mark. They may come for Balin next if I do that."

That gave the figure on the bed pause for a moment. He shook his head when he stood and went to rest his hands on Nori's shoulders. The touch was tolerated, at least. "You can and you must. How are the people to know the truth of the matter if it is not revealed to them? How are they to know the seriousness of the situation if you will not show it to them? There is little that can be done about the old laws without the will of the people. To save the lives of others, to procure safety for future generations, this must be done."

Nori whirled away from him and crossed his arms over his chest. "You cannot ask me to put them in harm's way! If Dori gets too stressed out he might lose the baby and then he'll be devastated from that as well! Ori's too young to be dragged into this, and if I try too hard to keep them out of the public eye in this someone might think Balin is behind it."

"Which could end up serving us well enough. You swore your loyalty and trust to me when we began this venture together. Do you mean to take back your words?" There was a threat in the other's voice that made him bristle, and a sadness that made him feel guilty.

Guilt was really an emotion he was getting tired of feeling tonight, and Nori had never been one to suffer threats. "Don't you threaten me!" he warned in a low voice, whirling on him with his hands fisted at his sides. "You have no idea what I could do to you if you pushed me."

His hands raised in a placating gesture and Nori forced himself to meet his gorgeous blue eyes. "Spymaster," he said, throwing all of his authority into his voice, "it is your duty. Do not make me pull rank or threaten you, or your family, or your love in ways you know I do not wish to do."

Stupid fucking oaths. Stupid fucking handsome dwarrow and their attractively big dicks. Nori swore softly under his breath for a moment before he regained control over his emotions. "Think about this rationally," his ally said, taking advantage of Nori's silence to press his point. "You have the strength of numbers to easily keep your family safe. You could even kidnap them if you had to, though that might mean revealing your true identity to them. But this needs done, and you are the only one of us right now with the means to see it taken care of. You must move the people along on this."

"If anything happens to them-”

"It won't."

Nori gritted his teeth and started again. His chest ached at the thought of it. "If anything happens to them, I will blame you." He left the implications of that unspoken, but felt a little relieved when the other nodded, and then opened his arms. Nori fell into them, letting himself be held for a moment.

"I will accept it. It is a terrible thing I am asking of you, yet I must ask it all the same." His voice softened slightly as he pressed their foreheads together. "Please, show me the same trust you showed me this afternoon, when I took you to my bed and gave you mine."

"You'd better be right," Nori said, and tugged him into a deep kiss. Thorin's arms wrapped around him again, and Nori lost himself in his embrace.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur makes a new friend, Thorin finally gets through to Fili, and then Balin, Dori, and Ori have some family time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to greenkangaroo and queenofthedwarrows for helping me with Bofur!
> 
> Chapter 14 will go up June 2nd or 3rd. It's written (finally) I just won't have time to edit until after the wedding and my wife's birthday party/chilling with the fam and newlyweds on Sunday.

Bofur had been working for Nori for only a couple of weeks when he heard about the big riot that had happened in one of the nicer neighborhoods the day before. Some Lord, as he heard it told, had been keeping a few lower class dwarves as sex slaves. A lot of them were apprentices struggling to finish paying for their apprenticeships. Some were folk he was "helping" stay out of jail by keeping them in his home as prisoners. Every last one of them had been used and abused by the old fool, and Bofur wasn't all that surprised to hear they had taken advantage of the rioting outside to castrate the bastard. 

In his opinion, it was better than what he actually deserved. Bofur thought of the situation he had been in recently himself, until that strange dwarf came along to help, paying for Bifur's medical care and Bombur's tuition with his mouth and hands in darkened alleys at night. The thought of his dear, sweet Bombur ever having to be in a situation like that... it angered Bofur. The whole apprenticeship system was an unregulated mess, if you asked him, and he thought that surely there was something that could be done about it.

Instead, the nobles debated over how to punish and discourage the rioters, or the former prisoners who had hurt their captor out of desperation. They didn't seem to understand at all that while they hid safe in their homes with their money and their families and guards, the people who worked for them were suffering.

Or they didn't care.

It was a damn unfair system, and Bofur thought it pretty undwarven. Whatever happened to coming together as one big community? Sure, the exiles from Erebor stayed pretty close together, and the previous residents of Ered Luin were a close community, but more often than not, they only seemed to be bonded as one when it was the nobles versus those in poverty. 

If no other good was to come of this, at least it had brought the poor of both societies together. Bofur was currently drinking at the tavern where his baby brother was apprenticed. The food here was the best in the city, or so he heard from the few nobles that frequented the establishment who had dined at some of the fancier places in their mountain home. They also always said the food was better on the weekend nights, and Bofur had no qualms about proudly mentioning to those who said so that those were the nights his talented little brother was in charge of the kitchens.

Tonight, as always, the place was packed with miners and guardsmen just off their late shifts. Bofur had left Bifur in the care of some of their cousins, who had offered to give him a night off and sent him out to enjoy himself and be young for a bit, whatever it was that entailed these days. Too used to working long hours then coming home to take care of his family and their home, he wasn't quite sure what to do when left to his own devices. Figuring that he might as well just get something to eat to calm his growling stomach, Bofur had gone to the tavern, and was having a jolly good time chatting up the other dwarrows around him. 

On one side was a rather plain-looking older fellow who was a bit polite but spoke less and less the deeper into his cups he got. The sdwarrow occupying the stool on the other side was far more interesting; he was definitely a warrior (if those rather attractive scars were anything to go by), and he was a couple of decades older than Bofur, tall, broad of shoulder, well muscled, and very tattooed. His beard was full and quite the fetching color, and his eyes... Bofur was quite enamored of them already, and he was only on his third pint.

The name Dwalin sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. As the conversation carried on, Bofur decided it didn't matter. 

They talked about many things, Bofur sharing stories about his little brother and cousin, and Dwalin bragged about a young lad who lived with him that his older brother's lover was raising (and didn't that sound like the stuff gossiping goodwives loved. As they finished their fourth pints, Bofur found out that Dwalin was to be an uncle within the year and congratulated him. The fifth round brought the knowledge that Dwalin was also the Captain of the Kingsguard (which, as it turned out, was where he knew the name from) and that Bofur was a miner, and by the sixth round Bofur was fairly certain he was smitten. 

There was an easy chemistry between them, and an easy way of talking he'd never had with anyone outside his small family. It was a refreshing change, to make friends with someone outside of work, even if did have several years if maturity on him. Bofur had to stop himself after the sixth pint, or else he knew he'd have a very hard time stumbling home that night, but he and Dwalin made plans to meet up again in two nights for drinks and he was satisfied with that.

The next two nights passed pretty quickly and soon enough Bofur found himself leaving Bifur with Bombur and heading out to the same tavern to meet with Dwalin again, heart racing away nervously in his chest like an apprentice miner hacking away too quickly at a vein. There was always a possibility that Dwalin would forget, or the first night was a fluke and this time they wouldn't get along at all, or Bofur would say something stupid and put his foot in his mouth and that would be the end of their friendship.

It turned out he needn't have worried; they got along just as well sober as they did drunk, and Dwalin was even more handsome when Bofur wasn't bordering on smashed. Time passed quickly between them with good food, good ale, and good conversation, and Bofur didn't realize how late the hour had grown until it was last call and Bombur's Master was asking for their final drink orders of the night. 

They were both pretty sloshed as it was, so they said their good nights to the barkeep, paid their tabs, and went their separate ways after making plans to meet again the next night. He was so caught up in delighting over how well things had gone that Bofur was hardly expecting to be strong-armed into an alleyway by Nori two blocks from the small house he shared with his brother and cousin. He definitely wasn't expecting Nori to have two very tough looking dwarrows with him.

"Good evening!" Nori greeted him cheerfully. 

Bofur studied him cautiously for moment, trying to decide if he was in some sort of trouble or not, but Nori had a damn good poker face and he couldn't read any of the emotions behind the mask.

"Good evening," he returned. "Wasn't expecting to see you tonight." Bofur tried to keep his tone casual, but his eyes belied his suspicion of the more powerful dwarf.

Nori shrugged. "I suppose you wouldn't be," he said. "I just wanted to introduce you to a couple of fellas who'll be keeping tabs on you for me. If you come across any information, you'll go to them to have it relayed to me."

His keepers, as it turned out, were weirdly already neighbors of his and conveniently worked in the same mines as foreman. Not only would they be overseeing his shifts, but since Bofur had been so caught off his guard, they would be responsible for training him up a bit, teaching him how to fight and the like, just in case. 

"Is all this really necessary?" he asked Nori, distaste plain on his face now.

"Aye," Nori confirmed. "You'll be fine, really. I have to be off to a meeting now, they'll see you home."

And see him home they did. Bofur was amazed and made nervous by the way their exteriors changed from tough enforcers to smiling, joking drinking buddies. There seemed to be no threats involved, Nori's interest in his safety appeared to be genuine, but he couldn't be sure.

With a mask like that, it was hard to tell.

\---

In Thorin's opinion, the day of Dori's pardon had come at exactly the right time to further his and Nori's plans and hopefully stabilize their small city. After the attack on the House of Ul and the old man of the house losing any ability to further carry on his family line, the streets had been tense, many nobles of the city enduring any number of attacks and insults flung their way when they dared to venture outside. The city had united, at least in a way, with members of the noble class and the poor coming together more tightly than they had before and ignoring the differences between the exiled Longbeards and the mix of dwarrow that were long-term residents.

Dori's pardon would, he hoped, calm the populace a little. Already many noble families had come to him and his council, pledging their support if he were to find some way to straighten out this mess. Thorin's official statement had gone over well, that he could not possibly punish those who had hurt their abuser any further than they had already endured at the dwarrow's own hand, but that he and his council were looking into the mess, to see if the cause of it could be fixed. The reaction from both sides had gone better than expected, but he knew if he didn't act fast, the whole mess of it would backfire on him as both sides became more and more impatient.

Politics were a nasty business, even more so when one had to meddle and scheme to get anything done.

There was a soft knock at the door, then the sound of someone struggling with the handle. Thorin sat up further in his chair and pretended to be working while whichever of his nephews it was fought to enter his office. When the door finally swung open Fili raced in with a triumphant smile on his face for having bested the door knob and clung to his uncle's leg in greeting.

"Good morning, little one," Thorin greeted. He lifted Fili up into his lap and let the boy cuddle into his chest. "Shouldn't you be at lessons with Mister Dwalin today?"

"I finished early!" Fili proclaimed. "Mama picked me up and brought here for awhile so she could have some quiet!"

Which meant Thorin would have to drop him off at Balin's on his way to the forge. At least it wasn't out of the way, and he needed to take Dori the news of pardon himself anyway. Dis must have planned it without telling him. "I see," he said. "How is your day then, my dear sister-son?"

Fili made a face of disgust, then he shifted around on Thorin's lap and looked uncomfortable. "Can I ask you a question?" Fili looked pretty serious.

Having decided with Dis long ago that it was best to treat the boys by the age they were acting, Thorin schooled his features into an equally serious face and ran a hand through Fili's hair. "Of course you can. What is it?"

"How come Ori won't kiss me when I tell him to?"

By Durin's beard! This again? It had to have been the sixth or seventh time an adult in Fili's life had tried to get through to him about why that was wrong. Thorin forced himself to hide his exasperation, reminding himself that he wanted Fili to understand, not burst into tears on him, which is what would happen if he lost his temper. That the boy wasn't already crying while asking about it was a drastic improvement over the last time they'd had this same discussion, and Thorin let himself hope that this time it would go differently. He silently asked Mahal for guidance and wisdom before opening his mouth and giving this particular discussion another try.

But how to approach it. Inspiration struck suddenly, and Thorin trusted Mahal was looking out for him.

"We've talked about this before," Thorin gently reminded Fili as he lifted his nephew onto his desk so they could face each other. "Why do you think he won't do it?"

To his nephew's credit, Fili seemed to consider his answer very carefully before shaking his head. "I dunno. He doesn't hate me, 'cause he drew me a picture yesterday."

"Perhaps he simply didn't feel like being kissed, Fili. I know sometimes you don't want to be kissed. Remember last night when Kili tried to kiss you? What did you tell him?"

"I told him no," Fili answered, looking at him with uncertainty.

Thorin gave him a reassuring smile and pressed their foreheads together gently to encourage him. "That's right, you did. How do you think you would have felt if Kili insisted on it and made you kiss him?"

At least Fili was at an age where he could think about the what-ifs. It made conversation easier. "I would be mad at him," he declared, then his face fell. "And sad."

Thorin waited a moment to see if he was done listing emotions (as it could sometime take Fili awhile) and was surprised to see realization click on Fili's face. "Oh! Is that how Ori feels?"

"Probably. You can't force someone to kiss you, Fili, it isn't right. You have to ask him, and if he says no, then you don't do it. If he wants you to kiss him he'll let you know." 

"So I have to wait?" Fili's face fell, and Thorin resisted the urge to peck his forehead. 

"Aye, but waiting can make it better. If he gave you kisses all the time, you might not appreciate them as much," he tried.

His heir considered that for a moment. "Like chocolate?" he asked, referring to a conversation where he and Dis had given up just telling them no to sweets and told them if they had chocolate every day it wouldn't taste as good. The sweet, gullible little things had bought it, at least, not realizing it was a lie.

"Yes," Thorin confirmed, "like chocolate."

Fili nodded his understanding at last and Thorin gave him an affectionate (and relieved) smile. "There's a good lad. You'll have to apologize to him later."

"Can we buy him a present?" Fili asked.

Thorin ruffled his hair. "I don't see why not. Give me a moment to finish signing these and I'll take you to the market."

Fili let out a whoop of joy and slid out of the way on his uncle's desk to make room for him to finish signing papers so they could go.

\---

Dori was incredibly pleased when Balin told him later that evening that Thorin seemed to have finally gotten through to his oldest sister-son. Fili had used his own money to buy Ori a fine new quill and some colored ink as an apology, and Ori had squealed in delight and given him a very big hug. The sound had been audible even to Dori, tucked away upstairs in bed as he was. Thorin had come up afterward to visit and deliver him his official pardon, though he couldn't stay long as he had a commission to finish in the forgethat afternoon.

Being pardoned felt nice, and it was a relaxing weight off his shoulders, but Dori was still confined to bed for at least another three days and so couldn't really enjoy it. He was never lonely, at least, between his brothers, Balin, Dwalin, and Thorin's sister-sons. They checked in on him frequently, kept him company when he desired it, and left him alone when he wanted privacy or a nap. Nori and Balin made sure to feed him extra well, and to help him move around a bit each day. The boys drew him pictures at the end of each lesson and brought them up to Dori to tell him all about it.

That was how he spent the late afternoon the day after Fili's apology to Ori, with small, excitable boys alternating between cuddling him and showing off their art. Ori's was the best by far (and when had his baby learned how to draw faces so well?) , but the other two put up an admirable effort. Balin watched from his chair by the bedside with a fond smile on his face that Dori could hardly help but return. His lover had come so far over the last year, and worked daily to make up for his past mistakes.

Dori had more than half a mind to completely forgive him one day, though he felt that was still some way off in the future.

"Mister Dori," Kili said suddenly, interrupting himself in the middle of explaining a picture to him, "how do you know you are having a baby?"

The two lovers exchanged a glance in which they mutually decided not to actually explain anything at all, since Kili wasn't their child. "Mister Oin told me so," Dori said after a moment. Balin nodded his approval of the answer.

"Oh," Kili said, pausing to think that over. "How does Mister Oin know?"

"You'd have to ask him," Balin said, when Dori couldn't come up with an answer. "Or your aman might know, she had two babies, after all."

Kili's face brightened at that. "Oh yeah! Aman knows _everything_!”

Dori and Balin chuckled, and Fili scooted closer to Dori on his knees. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked, innocent eyes wide with curiosity.

"Not yet, no," Dori told him. "We won't know for sure until the baby is born."

Three innocent faces fell at that, making Dori have to bite back the urge to remark how cute they looked, and Ori scooted closer. "But we want to know so we can draw it pretty pictures!"

Dori's heart melted a little, and he gave Ori a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sure the baby will like whatever you draw, no matter whether it's a lad or a lass." The boys brightened instantly at the thought. 

"We'll just have to draw lots then!" Kili declared. The boys whooped in joy at that, and then fell silent when the doorbell rang. Balin smiled and went off to answer the door, and the boys all pouted at the sound of Dis's voice from downstairs. 

It was a bit of a battle to get the two Heirs of Durin out the door, but Dori was glad for the silence when it fell. As soon as their clamor was out of the house, Ori started yawning, perfectly ready for his afternoon story and nap. This time he declared that he wanted his story in bed with his brother, and Balin was happy to oblige him. 

The book Ori picked out had many pictures in it, of elves and men and the small creatures called Hobbits. It held the history of their proud races, and Dori settled his head against Balin's shoulder as he read to Ori, lulled into a state of relaxation by the steady rhythm of his voice, the warmth of his body, and Ori's quiet breathing. It didn't take long for Ori to fall asleep, curled up across them with his head on Balin's stomach and his feet on Dori's legs. Balin set the book aside and shifted just enough to wrap an arm around Dori and pull him close. Dori let him, and pillowed his head on Balin's chest, near to Ori's. He lifted a hand to brush a lock of red hair from his brother's face. 

"He's grown up so much in the last year," Balin murmured to Dori. "Not just his height, though I daresay he's put on another half inch in the last month alone."

That he had. They would have to buy new clothes for him soon, since he was out of extra fabric to let out of Ori's seams. "Thorin said he told Fili no," Dori replied quietly. He felt the soft press of lips to the back of his head and smiled a little at the gesture. "Is that what you mean?"

There was a moment of silence behind him, and then Balin sighed softly. "It is. I still feel terrible, especially with the boys having thought my behavior toward you was acceptable. I'm glad Ori's learned to stand up for himself despite what I've put you both through."

The guilt was thick in his voice. Dori moved his hand from Ori's hair to Balin's chest, playing gently with the chest hair that was visible above the collar of his tunic because he knew it would help ease the tension in both of them that this particular topic caused. "I would tell you to stop beating yourself up for it, but I think it's for the best that you not forget. How are either of us supposed to help the little ones improve our society if we don't remember to properly teach them right from wrong? Times are changing, and some of the things we grew up with are no longer acceptable, nor can I imagine they ever should have been that way."

Balin seemed to think on that for a moment. Dori judged he'd accepted the statement when a hand lifted to play with his unbraided hair. "It wasn't like this, in Erebor. There were different classes, but everybody had money. Nobody lived a life of poverty, everybody was employed and paid fairly. Perhaps, as a society, these aren't issues we ever had to learn to deal with. I can't even remember ever hearing King Thror have to sentence anyone to a cell or the stocks for more than a week at a time.

"Still, I think you are right, and most of the city agrees with you. We need to change with the times, and learn from our mistakes." 

The acknowledgment made Dori grin into Balin's chest even as he tried to suppress a yawn. "I just want better for Ori than what I had," he said, and tilted his head up to look at Balin. "Our little ones deserve better."

A small smile crossed Balin's lips then, chasing away the storm of guilt that had previously taken hold of his expression. Any mention of their child was the fastest way to soothe his spirits, and Dori found that it was quickly becoming the fastest way to soothe his own.

"I know, as the head of the family, I'm traditionally supposed to be hoping for a boy, but I would really like a daughter," Balin confided in him, changing the topic.

Dori smiled, and let him. They could talk of darker things when Ori wasn't in the room. "I've already got a boy. I wouldn't mind a girl next," he agreed.

Balin lifted his other hand to play with Ori's hair as the child slept, his other hand stilling its movement to rest on Dori's shoulder. "Aye. One of each, that's what we need."

"Aye," Dori said softly. "I could be happy with that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what I think is going to happen is we'll finish off the story arc with the fixing things, and that'll conclude this story, and then I'll time skip and start another one and do a series of these. c: I'm thinking there's one, maybe two more chapters left in this.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori is a cutie, Bofur and Dwalin spend more time together, and Nori and Balin have a Talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end of chapter for a note bout updates.

The weeks flew by quickly, and yet Thorin and his advisors were having difficulty managing the mess of a relationship between the classes. Dori knew this, because Balin came home frustrated daily and his work hours grew longer, much to the dismay of the boys. There were nights where Balin didn't return from home until Dori had been asleep for an hour or more already, and when he did get home early, he often preferred to speak about his day instead of making love in the evenings as he and Dori normally preferred to do. As the youngest of the three, Ori didn't take well at all to the change in his routine, often becoming excessively fussy around nap time when he would usually curl up with Balin and had to instead settle for one of his brothers.

It wasn't that Ori didn't love him and Nori, Dori often reminded himself in the midst of Ori having a meltdown on him, but that he was going through a phase where he was exceedingly particular about who was allowed to do what for him. Ori could read a good number of his books well enough on his own, provided they were in Westron, but he valued his quiet time with Balin and still needed an afternoon nap. It was frustrating, especially as Dori's stomach began to swell with child and his joints became swollen and achy, to have to try to adjust Ori to a new routine.

Still, life had improved for the both of them overall, and Ori was doing well in his lessons with Balin and "Uncle Dwalin". He wasn't the strongest dwarfling, but Dwalin assured him that Ori was clever in his fighting methods, and quick. He could dodge well enough for his age and out-think both the little princes. It wasn't uncommon for Dwalin to brag about it at the dinner table. Hearing that his baby brother was progressing well brought happiness to Dori, and it took his mind off other concerns for a bit.

He and Balin were still undecided on whether or not they would wed before the birth of their child. Dori was torn. Though Balin had greatly improved, Dori was still having trouble trusting him. That was the reason for his hesitance. Being born a bastard would mean his child would be looked down on, as he and his brothers often were by those who were born in wedlock. Dori didn't want that life for his child, but he was greatly concerned. What if Balin went straight back to the way he had been before Dori's pregnancy? What if this was all an act, and he intended to use his rights as Dori's husband to take control of the children and hurt him?

Granted, it did seem unlikely, but the thought was always there at the back of his mind. Being on bed rest meant Dori had plenty of time to think, and he decided it would be best to have a backup plan. Taking Ori and running was an option, but Dori hadn't gotten far the last time he had tried it, and he didn't want to separate Ori from Balin if he didn't have to. There was no doubt in Dori mind that if he stayed, the children would be well cared for. They would want for absolutely nothing in their lives, and Balin would be a good father.

But would he be a good husband? The fear was still there, and marriage was intended to be a permanent thing amongst their people. It was notoriously hard to be granted a divorce by the ruling council, even more so if children were involved. For all that their population was dwindling, the well-being of their child-bearing men and women seemed to mean little to those in charge at times. All of them were well aware that it was unhealthy to stay in a relationship for the children, yet those in power feared that something awful would happen if the kids were raised by only one parent. If Dori left, he would have to find work (which would be very difficult now thanks to his new criminal record), and raise two dwarflings on his own. He could sell off the things Balin had given him to start a new life, but he had learned from watching the older dwarfs around him after Erebor that selling things would only get one so far.

Eventually, he would run out of things to sell.

He would have to stay with Balin then, which made Dori feel a little trapped and angry, but more at the system than at Balin. The only question that remained was whether or not he would allow Balin his hand in marriage.

Dori sighed and settled into a different position amongst the pillows. It had been weeks since the pregnancy had been discovered, but he was still indecisive about the whole thing. There was still plenty of time for Dori to decide, and he knew that, he really did, but he felt rushed. This was likely the most important decision he might ever make.

A knock at the door drew Dori from his thoughts, and Nori poked his head in before Dori could even open his mouth to grant him entrance. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. There was a tray in his hands, which meant that it was time for lunch. Apparently he had been caught up enough in his worry that Dori had lost track of time. "Kids are downstairs eating. Thought I'd bring you food while I've still got Dwalin here to watch them."

Whatever Nori had cooked today smelled delicious. Was that chicken? It smelled like it. Dori sat up a little higher in bed and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you," he said, as Nori set the tray down on his lap.

There was chicken, left over from last night's roast. Nori had toasted two slices of thick, homemade bread, and put the chicken between them with melted cheese and plenty of local vegetables. It smelled divine and tasted better, and Dori indulged himself by chewing slowly to enjoy the savory taste of the meat. 

"I think I might have been craving this," he said after swallowing, and gave Nori a small smile. It was difficult to still be angry with him for his lifestyle choices and consequent criminal record when Nori was trying so hard right now. There was a look in Nori's eyes that Dori knew meant he was feeling trapped, tied down. Some part of Nori's instincts were likely screaming at him to get out of town, to keep moving, but his younger brother was doing an admirable job of resisting those instincts so far. It was possibly the sheer amount of sex Nori had been having with Thorin was part of what was keeping him there. In another time, Dori would have fretted over it, fearing for their reputation and worried that Nori would destroy their leader's.

That time was long since gone. Nori was taking better care of all of them than Dori could have ever brought himself to ask of him, and that made him just a bit more inclined to trust Nori to make his own choices.

Not that he was going to suddenly cease worry about him. Dori was always concerned for his baby brothers. He set his sandwich down after the third bite and gave Nori a serious look. 

"Is everything progressing all right with Thorin?" he asked.

The question got him a roll of Nori's eyes, but Dori decided that Nori not storming from the room after telling him it was none of his business was a victory. Ah, progress.

The middle brother of Ri took a moment to answer, and when he did, the words came with a rather nonchalant shrug. "He's a bit stressed over this situation between the classes, so we haven't had as much time together as I suspect he would like, but it seems fine to me. I'm not certain how a conventional relationship is supposed to progress, so I don't exactly have a good basis of comparison." Nori gave him a grin, and Dori shook his head in consternation. It was all well and good that Nori didn't do _anything_ the conventional way, but Dori was a little frustrated with both himself and his mother for not having ever been able to give that demonstration of normalcy to either of his younger brothers.

If he was quite lucky, perhaps Ori would have that example and a lot more stability than Nori had seen as a youth during their time in exile and their subsequent settling in Ered Luin.

"That's all well and good for you, I suppose," Dori said, "but I've been thinking a lot lately about how to give Ori a better life than either of us have had so far."

Nori made a face at that. "You can do it without having to marry him, Dori. Aman never married and I'm pretty sure we all came out okay."

Dori's raised eyebrow at that made Nori laugh. "All right then, you turned fine, and I turned into a charming, handsome rogue. But look, I've bagged a future King, and Balin's not all bad, I suppose." 

It seemed like a good idea to take a bite of his sandwich so he wouldn't smack Nori for that comment, but keeping his hands busy did little to stop him from sending a glare Nori's way. There was nothing horribly wrong with Balin, at least, not now. Sure, he was a bit much of a traditionalist, even for a dwarf, and yes, he had taken advantage of Dori, but they were trying to move passed that and better their relationship. It was working reasonably well so far. 

And maybe he had a bit of a tendency to fuss, and sometimes he let Ori stay up too late, or spoiled him a bit more than Dori liked.

All right, Balin wasn't perfect, and he had his flaws, but Dori was fairly certain he loved him anyway. He could think of no other force in all of Middle Earth that would make anyone do such crazy things as staying with Balin likely appeared to be to outsiders. 

"I was trying to be nice," Nori groused. "You may have worked things out and are striving for total forgiveness, but I hold grudges. He hurt you and he used you, and he did it under the guise of 'I know what's best'. He hurt Ori, indirect though it was. I can't let that go, and I can't trust him." 

Dori took a deep breath, reached for Nori's hand as he stood to leave, and tugged him back down. "I'm not asking you to forgive him or trust him, Nori," Dori reminded him quietly. Shifting around was tricky with only one free hand, but Dori managed to move enough to press their foreheads together. The familiar, loving gesture had always calmed Nori when he was upset as a child and then an unruly adolescent, and Dori was pleased to find that it was still incredibly effective.

"Then what are you asking?" Nori murmured, giving Dori's hand a squeeze.

"I'm asking you to trust me," Dori said. "Surely you can manage that, my skittish little fox."

A small smile lit up both their faces at the childhood nickname. Nori had always been a clever, agile, and fast dwarf, playful and full of energy, but never quick to trust. Dori smoothed a hand over the side of Nori's hair, then pulled away after giving his little brother's forehead a quick kiss so he could settle more comfortably against the pillows. There was a shout from downstairs, followed by a crash, and then the sound of tears. Nori sighed and stood.

"I'd better go see what they've gotten into this time," he said, and left Dori alone with his lunch and his thoughts. 

The peace and quiet didn't last for too terribly long. Nori brought their miserable-looking baby brother upstairs to Dori, clearly suppressing his own amusement at Ori's suffering. The youngest Ri had his head buried in Nori's neck, and was still sniffling softly as Nori set him down on the bed with his brother. Ori hid his face in Balin's pillows, and wouldn't look at him.

"What happened?" Dori demanded from Nori, who snickered a little and sat down next to Ori to on the bed, gently rubbing his back to soothe him.

"The princes decided to try climbing onto Balin's desk, and the green ink got knocked over and... well..." Nori shrugged. "Show him your face, Ori, he won't be mad at you."

The tiny boy sat up to look at Dori, and Dori had to suppress a laugh at the color of his skin combined with the look on his face. "Well, I've never seen a green dwarfling before," he managed after a moment, and then reached out to tug Ori onto his lap as Nori removed the lunch tray from the bed. "I take it you couldn't get all the ink off?"

The tray was set in the hallway, and then Nori rejoined them on the bed, sitting on the edge next to Dori. With a tenderness unusual for the middle brother, Nori reached up to brush stray hair out of the lad's face. "I got off what I could, but I think he's going to have a stain for awhile. Dwalin couldn't stopping laughing when he saw Ori, so I sent him to take our trouble-making princes back to their Ama."

"They laughed at me," Ori muttered with a pout. He froze as a thought seemed to occur to the young lad, and Ori gasped. "Am I going to be green forever?" 

Those sweet, innocent eyes were wide with fear and worry. Ori was quite the adorable little thing. Dori kissed his forehead. "No, dear. It'll wear off eventually. I do think you're going to be green for awhile though."

Ori sulked and slumped forward against Dori's shoulder, burying his green face into his big brother's neck. "There, there, it's not so bad, is it? I'm sure you aren't the only dwarfling to have been accidentally dyed another color," Nori tried, reaching out to pat Ori's back with a small grin.

"Don't wanna be green," he muttered into Dori's shoulder, just loud enough for Dori to hear it. He laughed a little at that.

"What did he say?" Nori asked.

"He doesn't want to be green," Dori answered. Nori chuckled.

The front door opened then, and they heard familiar voices downstairs that signaled Dwalin's return, and with Balin in tow. Ori was off Dori in a heartbeat, running down the stairs with a joyful whoop and straight in to Balin's waiting arms. Dori heard the normal sounds of greeting, then a pause, and then a chuckle.

"What happened to your face, lad?" Balin asked. 

It was all too easy to imagine Ori pouting at Balin while he told the story, but soon enough there was no need for imaging. Balin came straight upstairs with Ori in his arms, still listening to the grumpily told tale even as he bent to kiss Dori hello and greeted Nori with a pat on the shoulder.

"And now I'm green _forever_!" Ori finished with a sniffle and buried his face in Balin's neck. One tiny hand fisted low in his beard, holding tight to him. "And I missed you _all day_.”

Balin gave him a tired smile and pressed his forehead to Ori's for a moment. "I missed you too, my dear lad. I am sorry work has taken me away from you so often of late." 

Dori gave him a soft smile as his quickly tiring little brother clung a little tighter to Balin at that. "I don't like it," Ori informed him plaintively. "I miss my story." 

"Well, we have plenty of time for it today," Balin informed him. "Would you like to go pick out your book?"

Ori nodded, looking a lot happier now, and wiggled free of Balin's arms to run off and find his book. Nori stood and went after him, leaving his brother and lover alone. "How was your day?" Dori asked.

Balin sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Difficult. We're no closer than we were yesterday or any other day toward solving this mess, and it seems to be getting worse. Tensions are very high right now."

Seeing Balin so frustrated made Dori frown. He shifted on the bed to be closer to his lover, and rested his head against Balin's shoulder. The touch seemed to relax him, and Dori smiled a little at the knowledge that it was his touch that could do this to him. The two of them moved around on the bed, stretching out together once Balin had removed his boots and jacket. Ori came running back and settled down between them with a book, and Dori dozed off and on until their little one was asleep between them. The book was set on the nightstand, and Balin rolled onto his side to look at Dori.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked. It looked as though he desperately wanted to reach across to Dori's stomach and didn't want to ask, so Dori took his hand and put it there, and on the slowly growing baby bump that was their child.

"I can feel the baby moving a little, but you can't feel it through the skin yet. There's none of the kicking yet that my mother used to talk about so often, just this feeling somewhat like when one has butterflies in one's stomach. Just... fluttering." It was pleasant enough, to know the baby was there. Each little flutter brought him joy.

That same joy seemed to shine in Balin's eyes. "I am glad to hear it," he said, and leaned over Ori a bit to peck Dori's cheek. "It pleases me that no matter how tense things are out there, I have all this to come home to. I must admit, it was what kept me going today."

Dori smiled, pleased to hear that Balin thought of them while he was always, that he missed them, and threaded their fingers together over his stomach. "Was there another riot?" he asked. "Dwalin was much too tired earlier for questions."

"Aye," Balin replied. "Three of them last night and another at dawn in the mines with the apprentices."

"A lot of this mess seems to revolve around that," Dori observed. "I know we dwarrow detest changing our traditions, but even our society changes over time, however little that may be. Perhaps regulating the system is the change you need."

His lover was silent for a long moment, threading his fingers through Ori's hair while he considered Doris words. Eventually, he spoke, and Dori was pleased to see that Balin appeared to be taking his counsel seriously. "I think you might be correct," he said at last. "I'll have to talk it over with Thorin, but that's the best idea I've heard yet, my gem."

Dori flushed a bit at that, and shifted Ori slightly to snuggle closer. "If not, I imagine one side or the other will organize enough to make their demands known eventually."

"It certainly appears that way. We had hoped to act before either side had a chance to find leadership and organize themselves, but the poor are doing remarkably well at that. The nobles cannot stop squabbling for power long enough to figure out what it is they want, whether it should be a Longbeard or a Broadbeam in charge, or how much power each clan should hold." Balin sighed. 

"That's because the rich have the luxury of having time to bicker over pointless things. Poverty transcends all people. The experience of each rich person may be vastly different depending on how they came into that wealth and power, but the poor have much in common. The rich have the leisure to decide what to do for dinner, but for those who lack money, the options are unsurprisingly limited. There are only so many ways one can stretch a copper piece, after all." Dori spoke from experience, and Balin knew it.

Balin kissed him again. "Wise words," he said. "I think those of us who have recovered well from Erebor have forgotten those lessons we learned on the road."

That was a shame, really. Dori gave his hand a squeeze. "You would all do well to remember them. The lessons of hardship should not be so easily forgotten."

"You are right again, my love," Balin said, a sad look in his eyes. "I can only hope they are remembered before this mess is resolved."

\---

By day, Bofur worked in the mines. After supper he spoke to his neighbors, handing over any important information he had learned over the course of the day. On nights when Bombur was off of work to stay home with Bifur, Bofur headed out to meet Dwalin for a drink. The easy camaraderie was still there between them. They would spend a few hours together, drinking less and talking more each time. Now they were to the point where they were only drinking two, maybe three drinks apiece. The conversation flowed between them, mostly from Bofur, though Dwalin didn't hesitate to interject or tell stories where he felt he ought to. 

Tonight the conversation was more somber than usual, though Bofur supposed it would be good to have someone with whom he could discuss the more serious things besides Bombur. The riot in the mines had unnerved him, anybody could see that, and Dwalin had picked up on it instantly.

"It's because of that cave in last week," Bofur explained, once they had settled into their second drinks. "The apprentices who were killed were often considered to be financial burdens, and the miners that had taken a liking to them enough to teach the youngins the craft are accusing the foremen of having caused it. They're insisting it wasn't an accident, but murder."

Dwalin frowned at that and took a long pull from his ale. "What do you think it was?" he asked.

Bofur considered the question. He knew from his spying and sneaking around that it had indeed been murder, but he wondered if his secret boss might be angry at him if he said something. The pay he was getting on the side for his illicit activities was good, and he couldn't afford to jeopardize that. Deciding that playing the fool was the better bet here, Bofur shrugged and sadly shook his head, gazing down into his ale.

"I don't know," he said. "It's hard to figure out who to trust nowadays, what with every side fighting hard against the other. Seems to me there's too much misinformation out there."

"Aye, you're right about that," Dwalin replied with a slow shake of his head. "It's difficult to know the truth of anything of late."

Bofur nodded and took another long pull of his ale. "I only hope it all gets sorted out soon, before more people get hurt than have been hurt already."

They sat in silence after that, each taking solace in the other's company and the soft brush of their arms and hands, until the barkeep kicked everyone out to close down for the night. Not quite in the mood to go home, Bofur couldn't say no when Dwalin invited him back to his home for something more.

"Are you sure your family won't mind?" Bofur asked as they paused outside the door for Dwalin to fumble with his keys.

"It's no trouble," Dwalin assured him. "They're most likely all asleep by now." 

Dwalin pushed open the door and guided Bofur inside with a gentlemanly hand on his back. Neither of them noticed the dark figure that had followed them from the bar and waited in the shadows across the street from the house, unseen by all. 

Nori waited until the door was pushed close and they both had their backs to the window to move. He had a feeling they would probably stumble into the kitchen for another drink, so he figured he had plenty of time to get safely back into the house without getting caught. Compared to other dwarves Nori was incredibly stealthy, and he was able to climb unseen and unheard back up the house and into the room he shared with Ori.

The little lad wasn't in the bed where he had left him, and Nori swore softly. That meant that either Ori had crawled into bed with Balin and Dori on his own, or one of them had come in to get him and found Nori missing. Frowning and trying to contemplate what he ought to do to explain his absence if questioned, Nori quickly changed for bed and let down his hair. Pulling it back into a simple braid for sleep kept him occupied for several minutes, as there was a lot of hair for two hands to have to contend with. There were soft voices in the hall now, and Nori listened carefully. The sounds were definitely coming from Dwalin and Bofur, and Nori pressed his ear to the door and listened as they entered Dwalin's room. 

It was to Nori's advantage that their rooms were right next door, but when he heard a soft gasp a moment later, he decided to count it as another advantage that their beds weren't on the same wall. At least this way there was less of a chance in the future of Dwalin waking Ori up with the sex. 

Speaking of... Nori frowned, and tried to figure out how one of his minions had ended up going to bed with his brother's lover's brother. It was an inconvenience, to be certain. Only a few of his people were ever permitted to know of his residence at any time, and that list was limited only to his chief lieutenants. He would have to be conveniently gone whenever Bofur was over, assuming this was more than a one night stand, until he had decided whether or not he could trust the miner. 

It also meant he needed a contingency plan in case this was a lasting thing. There was no way he could avoid Bofur seeing him forever, especially not if Dwalin was taken with the lad. He was aware that Dwalin had been seeing someone - the clues were obvious to anybody that knew the dwarrow - but he hadn't been expecting... this. It was clearly time to put a tail on Dwalin and check in with Bofur's handlers to find out what was going on here. Asking both of them up front would be easier, but Nori had to immediately discard that as an option, for now. If he asked, they would know he had been out of the house and following them, at least long enough to see them enter. There was also the chance that one or the other might lie about the nature of their relationship.

The bedroom door creaking open drew Nori from his thoughts. He sat up in bed and turned to look as Balin carried Ori back into the bedroom. They exchanged a silent look as Balin laid the little one back down next to Nori, and Ori instantly curled up against his older brother's side, tiny fingers fisting in his nightclothes and his head burrowing into Nori's hip. Even Nori couldn't hold back a small smile at the sight. Ori was so innocent. So trusting. He had no idea what his big brother was really like, and yet he loved Nori unconditionally all the same.

Sweet, sweet boy.

Balin, on the other hand, was giving him a stern look. "I don't know when or how you've been sneaking off," he said softly, so as not to wake Ori, "but this is the third time this week he's woken up during the night and had a crying fit because you were gone."

It was possible that he was supposed to feel guilty over it, and Nori felt a stab of something, certainly, but he wasn't sure at all what it was. "I had to see to something," he answered quietly, leaving his whereabouts vague on purpose. Balin wouldn't be happy with it, but Nori didn't owe this dwarrow a damn thing, let alone an explanation.

"If you're off doing something illegal -," Balin began, before Nori cut him off with a snort and a roll of his eyes.

"If I am, it's my own business, and it has nothing to do with you. I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions."

"It has everything to do with me when you're living under my roof, with your brothers, and it could affect your relationship with and the reputation of our leader."

Nori reached down to pet Ori's hair so he wouldn't punch Balin instead. Oh, Nori was fast. He was skilled. But Balin was a famous warrior for very good reasons, and Nori didn't think he'd enjoy the retaliation for the punch, satisfying though hitting Balin would be.

Instead of hitting him, he took a deep breath and forced himself not to yell. "Thorin trusts me. Maybe you should try that too."

"Thorin may well be blind to your faults," Balin pointed out. "It is difficult for some to see the flaws in their One."

"Thorin is an adult too, and he can make his own decisions. He is not at all blind to my faults, but at least he doesn't imprison me for them." The words came out in a harsh whisper, Nori's eyes cold and hard. Balin glared at him, and seemed on the verge of snapping at him, but even as Nori watched, the elder dwarf took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and resumed mastery over himself.

It was impressive, Nori had to admit, and also a little bit on the creepy side. Never had he seen any dwarf do that so well.

That, he knew, was definitely a part of what made Balin so dangerous.

"I think it may be best if we continue this discussion at a later time," Balin said, his voice even in a way Nori envied. _He_ couldn't do that. "Rest well."

What could he do but agree? At least it got Balin out of his hair. "Aye. Goodnight."

He watched as Balin strode from the room, quietly closing the door behind him, and then sank back down against the pillows and tugged Ori close. The dwarfling smacked his lips and cuddled as close as he possibly could, half of his limbs thrown over his older brother like some sort of impossibly small blanket. Nori closed his eyes, and listened to the soft sounds of gasps and moans coming from the next room over, and fell asleep contemplating more than one mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter in this story, and then I'll probably add more to the side stories for a bit before I work on part two. I have a hard time getting across my thoughts on why characters are the way I write them, so I'm hoping adding more into that will flesh it out.
> 
> Also wouldn't mind having a permanent beta for this, because I sort of gave up halfway through.
> 
> Added 10/2/2013: First off, let me say that I do get your comments and questions, and even if I stink at replying to them, your support means a lot to me. Thank you for reading and commenting, or even just clicking on it and closing the window, because you increasing my hit counter boosts my ego. c: I get a lot of questions about when the next chapter will go up, so let me answer that here.
> 
> I don't know. 2013 is pretty much turning out to be the busiest and worst year ever, and I've been homeless a time or too. We've had two family deaths, my sister's wedding, my other brother-in-law (not the new one) is FINALLY getting to have his trial over something he was wrongly charged with over a year ago, I'm desperately trying to find a new job and getting ready to start a new degree in January, we can barely afford to pay our bills, etc. It just goes on and on, and I've not been in much of a mood to write fanfic (I've been focusing on original work when I'm not to exhausted oops).
> 
> I am still slowly working on the chapter, it's about halfway done. Sorry for the delay.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just going to use dwarf/dwarrow interchangeably because I can. I also went back edited a bit about Ori's age to make him younger - I'm thinking whatever the dwarf equivalent of 4-5 is. Edit: Using QueenBecky's conversion of 3.97:1 he is just about sixteen at the start of this.
> 
> We'll see.


End file.
